


little truths

by glazed



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: AU, Denial of Feelings, F/F, Paranormal Romance, Psychic Abilities, Psychic Bond, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-02-20 17:17:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 50,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2436641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glazed/pseuds/glazed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>x files au. paranormal fluffy feelings nobody wants to talk about. but talking isn't really necessary when you can read minds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. lights

_“Reassignment? I don’t...did my performance--”_  
  
 _“This is not punishment or a demotion, Doctor. It’s simply a reassignment. The Bureau finds your skills and dedication to...thorough, scientific investigation suited exactly to your new position.” He paused. “Frankly, we need you. It is with trust that we request your assistance and expertise in evaluating Special Agent Niehaus.”_  
  
 _“_ Niehaus _?” The blonde’s mouth fell open._  
  
 _“You’re familiar then?”_  
  
 _“Everyone’s heard of… ‘Nutty Niehaus,’” She cleared her throat of the juvenile tendencies of the Academy. “We’ve never met.”_  
  
 _He explained the details of her new assignment, her relocation. He was cold, as always, factual. Her mind ran over and over._  
  
 _“Remember, you’re monitoring Agent Niehaus as a_ partner _. You’re still on the same team. We...well, as you know, Niehaus is special in a few ways...We just need someone to observe procedure and practice. In which you excel, Dr. Cormier.” His piranha smile pricked her skin uncomfortably._   
  
She shifted in her skirt, eyes glazing over the small light bouncing floor to floor as the elevator made its slow descent. The skirt was itchy, but she had spent too long looking for her usual, _normal_ pair of earrings. _How were they not where I always put them?_ Her regimen was consistent, methodically essential to her existence, and yet the gold adornments were lost. She blamed the stress and frustration of this unexpected change, this wrench in her daily wheel.

The elevator lurched to the bottom most point it could reach, the doors slid open and she found herself in a dim, short hallway leading to a medium sized room with one desk. It was _messy_. It was the definitive first thing she noticed. _Do I really have to stay down in this pit?_ But then there was a person amongst the debris and filing cabinets, quick cat-like eyes sizing up the intruder in her den.   
  
She didn’t even have to introduce herself.  
  
“Doctor Delphine Cormier,” The woman behind the desk stood up, eyes still roaming from behind thick black frames as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Welcome to the office.” Her tone was flat, facetious, but not spiteful.  
  
Delphine stood in front of her awkwardly, not knowing what to do with her hands. “You’re…”  
  
“Cosima Niehaus,” Cosima waved her hand, wrapping up the necessities of introduction single-handedly. “But I know you already knew that, just like I already knew who you were. And I’m sure you know _lots_ about me, a lot more than my name. So let’s not even bother with pretending we don’t know what this is really about.” She took a step closer to the blonde. “You’re here to be the big guy’s eyes and ears, make sure I’m not bullshitting or getting up to freaky sci-fi trouble and exposing the government. You are the _goddess_ of reason, the normal to my para. My new monitor, this time fancy medical degree included.”  
  
“Are you finished?” Delphine held a steely gaze with the brunette throughout her rant.  
  
“...yeah, sorry about that.” Cosima actually looked a twinge regretful. “So…we can like, get you a desk down here too…” Cosima trailed off, finally seeing her nest of a workplace from a more _objective_ perspective.

  
\\\\\  
  


Cosima sat behind the wheel of the rented sedan, Delphine yawning in the passenger seat. The flight had been...turbulent. Cosima had been unphased, stretched with entitlement over three empty seats in her row. Delphine wrung her hands across the aisle, glancing at her nonplussed partner periodically. Even the flights to and from France had never eased Delphine into the experience of air travel. As they neared the end of the flight, altitude suddenly dropped, a brief panic washing over the rows of seats. After a few minutes and a re-stabilized aircraft, Delphine looked over to see Cosima’s knowing grin, _“We’re getting close, Cormier.”_

Delphine rubbed her eyes pushing away sleepiness, choosing instead to pick up the file resting between the driver and passenger seat. _A week and a half_ _missing, ex-cop, divorced…_  
  
“Abductee.” It was if Cosima had understood the tempo and direction of her thoughts.  
  
“This man was abducted?” Delphine questioned. “By whom?”  
  
“By _what_?” Cosima shot back, another smirk as she leaned forward onto the steering wheel, eyes raised, trying to see the sky from beneath her brows.   
  
“How are you so sure this man didn’t just leave town? He has no roots here, he is older and divorced, no longer on the police force…”  
  
“These are the last three cases he was working on before he resigned.” Cosima pulled another folder from near Delphine’s feet, her arm casually brushing against Delphine’s legs. The file was plopped in Delphine’s lap, Cosima’s hands quickly returning to the wheel.  
  
The doctor flipped through the pages, eyes scanning. They were three missing person cases, all within a 2 mile radius, all unsolved…  
  
“This doesn’t mean…”  
  
“Let’s talk to the ex-wife.”

  
\\\\\

 

The red door was slowly opened after a few loud raps from Cosima’s fist. A hesitant woman with long brown hair shifted her eyes between the partners.  
  
“Ms. Braunheim? I’m Special Agent Niehaus, this is Agent Cormier,” she nodded to the blonde at her side while flashing her badge, “Do you a have a few moments to spare for some questions?” They were let inside, and Delphine was caught up in observing Cosima’s persuasion, her ability to talk to relevant persons with ease, a relatability. She was beginning to see how Cosima’s technique could lend to effective questioning and viable results from witnesses. The meek woman at the door was already being warmed by Cosima’s gentle and strategic inquiries.   
  
“He just got more and more...out there. I mean, Nick always had the potential, that willingness, but that first case, the girl, Annie...really got to him. I knew it was over from then.” The ex shook her head, detached from the man with whom she once shared a life.   
  
“And you were separated well before he continued to investigate the other missing people, Ms. Braunheim?” Cosima’s unwavering eye contact seemed key.  
  
“Yes, but I still heard about them. We were still spending a day or two together, getting breakfast or lunch...I never thought he would quit the force though. I really hope me leaving him wasn’t the cause of all of this…”  
  
“You shouldn’t think that,” Cosima reassured. “I think there’s a lot more at play here. And I hope we can figure it out.”   
  
Delphine didn’t even ask any questions; soon she was being led away, back in the car and en route to Nick Braunheim’s apartment.   
  
“Get ready for a creepy bachelor pad, Cormier,” Cosima warned. Delphine thought it was a joke, but when they stepped inside the tiny one bedroom, the clippings, reports, blurry photos covering every surface overwhelmed the doctor.   
  
“He was obsessed,” Delphine hushed, eyes still scanning the articles tacked everywhere.  
  
“I think he was onto something,” Cosima stood in front of a map, head tilted as she studied it.  
  
“Niehaus, you can’t believe that this man’s reasoning was in some way... _sound_?” Delphine was getting worried the Bureau had reason in assigning her to oversee Cosima.

“Ok, I’m not saying that _this_ is what my research looks like, per se,” Cosima gestured to the all consuming mess of information surrounding them. She noticed Delphine’s raised eyebrow. “I _swear_ my apartment does not look like this. And come _on_ , the office is not this bad!” Delphine glanced down, barely covering the scoff with a forced cough. “Anyway, _this_ ,” Cosima tapped firmly on the map, a pinpointed location alit with red markings. “This is what he was onto, the hotspot. That’s where we’re going.”  
  
And before Delphine could begin to protest they were on their way, driving into the eye of the abduction zone.

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima had parked the car a little over two hours ago, her seat reclined within the first ten minutes of their observance of the area. Intermittently she picked up a pair of binoculars and scanned the surrounding landscape. Delphine had mostly been watching Cosima, wondering how looking for UFOs in the sky was her new line of work…  
  
“Tell me honestly, what do you expect to see out here?” Delphine addressed her partner.  
  
“What do _you_ expect to see?”  
  
“Come, I’m not going to play that game…” Delphine tried to brush her off.  
  
“Well, you’re the one who started it…” Cosima’s eyes wandered across the windows. “I’m going to go…look around outside of the car. Feel free to stay.” And Cosima was already closing the car door behind herself and traipsing off in a decided direction.  
  
Delphine exhaled slowly, slumping down in her seat and letting her eyes close and head fall backward. She was still so tired…  
  
She awoke with a start. The whole car seemed to be buzzing with a vibration. And then her passenger door _flew_ open.  
  
“Cormier!” Cosima’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Come on, you have to see this.” And Cosima already had a hold of her hand, pulling her along over a few small hills, stopping at the crest of one. “Look,” Cosima hushed, standing shoulder to shoulder with her partner, their hands still clasped, as before them three orbs of light shone in the sky. Their patterns in navigation were unpredictable, erratic.  
  
Delphine could barely understand what she was seeing. “They must be...spot lights...beams of some kind…” She tried to reason away what the flying lights before her defied.  
  
“Cormier…” Cosima challenged, knowing what was before her. “Look at that one _hovering_ , it’s completely still…” Delphine watched, mesmerized.  
  
But then, “Niehaus... _Niehaus_.”  
  
“Oh fuck.” Two of the lights were moving closer, more directly toward their location on the hill.  
  
Delphine instinctively began to back up, her hand still unconsciously linked with Cosima’s. “Niehaus.” And luckily Delphine was pulling Cosima with her, the brunette absorbed in _knowing_ what was coming for them. Cosima stumbled backward, finally moving with Delphine but throwing looks over her shoulder at the flying object.   
  
“It’s following us…”  
  
“I think we should go,” Delphine tugged more forcefully and Cosima finally took the hint and got inside of the sedan with the blonde.  
  
But instead of turning the ignition at the will of Delphine’s impatient eyes, Cosima sat completely still in the driver’s seat.  
  
“Niehaus--”  
  
“We’re not going to be able to leave unless they want us to leave, too.”

“What are you talking about? Drive the car. _Now_.”  
  
Cosima rolled her eyes behind her glasses, twisting the keys and the engine to life. Delphine gave a pointed look, and Cosima grimaced at her while throwing the car into drive.  
  
Delphine sighed, once again in motion, away from those _lights_. Before she could lean back into her seat, the car went silent, blank. It rolled to a stop, dead. Cosima gave her a cocky glance, before her eyes were on her wristwatch. _9:03_.  
  
The car gently began buzzing again, from without. Delphine swallowed, staring at Cosima whose hand moved to the handle of her door…  
  
“ _Don’t_.” Delphine’s hand was gripping Cosima’s wrist, _hard_.  
  
“We have a chance to see for ourselves--”  
  
“We don’t know what we would be seeing. We don’t know what this is, or if they would bring us back.” Delphine’s eyes implored, her hand still pressing into Cosima’s soft flesh.   
  
Cosima relented, easing back into her seat, closer to Delphine. “Fine, but only because you’re here. If--” But Cosima didn’t get to finish her sentence as blinding white light surrounded the vehicle, raining through the windows, snowing out its passengers.

  
\\\\\

 

And suddenly they could see again. The car’s engine back to life. Delphine still clutched at Cosima, even tighter now.  
  
“What the _hell_ just happened?” The blonde demanded, eyes wide with confusion.  
  
Cosima looked at her watch again. _9:15_. She couldn’t remember anything after the light… “Do you remember--?” Her eyes searched Delphine’s. The blonde simply shook her head.  
  
“Only seeing...nothing.”  
  
Cosima let out a deep sigh, putting the car into drive and heading back to their motel. “Well, there goes that experience.”

\\\\\

**  
**They both slumped to their respective rooms, Delphine briefly meeting Cosima’s eyes before ducking into her doorway, collapsing onto her bed. Her limbs felt odd, her body...displaced. She was tired, but her limbs hummed with the same vibrations sent through the car less than an hour ago. Huffing, she sat upright, digging for her laptop and trying to record as much of the memory she still had.  
  
Two hours passed before a gentle knock at her door startled her from her laptop screen. It was after midnight. Delphine glanced at her gun sitting in its holster, moving to the door. She left the chain on as she eased it open.  
  
Dark eyes behind darker frames peered at her, tired around the edges. “Hi.”  
  
Delphine met her eyes before shutting the door to remove the chain. She opened the door, this time wider. “Niehaus?”  
  
“So...tonight was kinda weird…” Cosima rubbed her arm absently. “Do you want to grab a drink?” She jerked her thumb behind, towards the tiny tavern glowing on the other side of the street.  
  
Delphine paused, holding Cosima’s gaze, before she shrugged on her trenchcoat and followed her partner.

  
\\\\\

  
“I know you don’t want to talk about it, but…” Cosima trailed, her finger scraping at the label on her beer bottle. Four empty bottles sat on the table between them, mutually responsible. “I just, I have to say...that’s never happened to me before.” Cosima let out a surprised chuckle, her mouth splitting open into a pleased grin as she finally looked up to meet Delphine’s eyes. “You must be better luck than I thought.”  
  
Delphine scoffed. “I don’t understand what happened to us tonight…” Her eyes relented a little, “But I suppose I do see some merit to your investigations now. There is sometimes what appears to be...the unexplainable.”  
  
Cosima narrowed her eyes, running them over Delphine. “I think I just heard an inkling of a believer in you.” She was grinning again, picking up one of the two new beers the server had placed before them. Delphine followed suit. She couldn’t believe she actually felt somewhat _comfortable_ in Niehaus’ presence.  
  
“I didn’t know I could...begin to trust you so soon.” The words fell from her mouth, alcohol slipping them along into shared honesty.   
  
Cosima tilted her head, scanning Delphine’s eyes. “Since we’re both being honest...I still don’t trust you.”  
  
Delphine swallowed, trying to hide her knee-jerk hurt. Her eyes fell to the table. “I’ve done nothing…”  
  
“It’s not you, inherently,” Cosima interrupted. “It’s who you work for. Who _we_ work for.” Her humorless chuckle swayed the words. “ _They_ don’t trust me. And they’re going to use you to get to me and...that’s why this is going to be hard.” She waved her hand between the two of them, gesturing to some invisible connection. “It’s not that I don’t want to…” And her eyes were falling into Delphine’s and the blonde felt a strange sensation tingling somewhere behind her oculars and how long had Cosima’s hand been resting lightly on her wrist? But then Cosima snapped away, her eyes turning colors before Delphine. Cosima looked down, giving her head a shake. The link was severed.   
  
“Anyway, they know they need me, sometimes they just don’t know why.” She was smiling at Delphine again, her head was clear. “I guess...I’m sorry you were thrown into this. Into the basement with _Nutty Niehaus_.” Cosima rolled her eyes wide.   
  
“You know they call you that?” Delphine hiccuped in surprise. Why did she imagine Cosima as unaware before meeting her? _Such propaganda surrounds this reclusive agent with the most enchanting gaze…_  
  
“Oh, come on, _Cormier_ ,” Cosima actually laughed at her this time, and Delphine heard the booze in her throat. “You don’t even have to be psychic to figure that one out.” And her mouth was all teeth, genuinely laughing at the blonde.   
  
Delphine’s eyes met Cosima’s again and she felt the tug, felt like swimming, before Cosima shook her off again, throwing back the last of her current bottle and clearing her throat. “Um, I should...get to bed. We fly out tomorrow and I want to ask a few more questions around here…” Delphine nodded, standing with Cosima as the brunette paid their tab. They walked in silence, side by side, back across the street to their small motel. Delphine noted the sway of her gait, the beers sinking more fully into her motor skills. They approached the row of doors and each stepped towards their respective places.  
  
Cosima paused, allowing their eyes to meet again, like _that_. “Goodnight, Cormier.” She said it simply, one corner of her mouth just barely quirked.  
  
And Delphine was already leaning against her door, alcohol and exhaustion swirling around her. “Goodnight, Cosima.”

  
\\\\\

  
Delphine awoke to slamming car doors, men’s voices yelling, she slowly tuned into the sounds from sleep.  
  
“ _Agent Niehaus! Stop!_ ”  
  
She jerked upright, barely pulling on a robe as she tore her door open to see three suited men, all black sunglasses and earpieces, approaching her partner who merely smirked and threw them a peace sign before trotting to the sedan she had been sharing with Delphine.  
  
“Niehaus!” Delphine’s own lungs sprung into action, and her voice cut through the rest to Cosima’s ears, her body halting and actually turning to consider Delphine.  
  
Delphine noticed the distinct once over, and Cosima’s slight shake of her head. _“Don’t worry,”_ resounded from somewhere within Delphine’s mind and with that Cosima had jumped into the car and sped off, the trio of FBI agents trailing after her in their own vehicle. 

  
\\\\\

  
Delphine cursed in French and worried for the better part of the next hour before a sedan returned to the parking lot, Delphine already rushing out, expecting Cosima.  
  
Instead the agents stepped out of the car, one of them approaching her, the other going to the back seat.  
  
“Agent Cormier.”   
  
She was addressed and responded with a nod, but her eyes watched as the other agents pulled a bound Cosima from the back of the car. Cosima was muttering and shouldering herself upright against the agents as they shuffled her forward towards the blonde.  
  
“Your flight has been bumped to the next most immediate. You’re leaving in…” He glanced down at his watch. “One hour. You’re to take Agent Niehaus with you, under close watch. She’s already been spoken to,” He cleared his throat. “She was trying to break into a high security military testing base a few miles from here.”  
  
Finally Cosima met Delphine’s eyes, sulking from her hold in the agent’s hands. “Cormier, tell them to let me fucking go already. I won’t run again,” She huffed.   
  
“I can handle Agent Niehaus from here,” She spoke to the agent and he gave a nod. Cosima’s plastic wristicuffs were cut and she stumbled forward, already rubbing her sore and discolored wrists. Delphine stepped closer, trying to meet Cosima, catch her gaze, make sure she was unharmed…  
  
Cosima avoided her eyes, shuffling straight to her own room. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”  
  
And as she sat beside a sullen and silent Cosima for the duration of the flight home, Delphine couldn’t help the feeling that she was beginning to believe.


	2. vision

Delphine rode the elevator down again, her fingers rubbing her bare ear lobes. _Still missing_. It had been nearly a week since her last investigation with Cosima. The days between had been filled mostly with report filing on Delphine’s end and scolding and facetious apologies on Cosima’s.   
  
She hadn’t heard from her partner. She wasn’t surprised; as far as first cases go, theirs was exemplary of exactly why the Bureau had assigned Delphine her new position. Surprisingly, Delphine glanced at her cell phone frequently throughout the week, expecting _something_ , not knowing what. Why did Delphine want to know if she was _okay_? Why wasn’t she unimpressed with her partner’s childish behavior?  
  
The doors clicked their way open and she found herself in the dark, save from a very dim lamp lit in the corner of the room. A gauzy scarf was draped over the shade, sinking the weak light source even more. Delphine cleared her throat as she approached Cosima’s desk, a shadowy figure suddenly lurching upright.  
  
And then the barely there light still managed to somehow catch in Cosima’s eyes, which were surprisingly unframed for a moment.  
  
“Oh.” Cosima sounded a bit flustered and quickly shoved her glasses on, not even needing to see to know it was the blonde before her. “Sorry about the creepy basement time going on. Uh, I have a migraine…” Cosima gestured to the front of her skull, and as Delphine’s vision finally adjusted to the dimness of the room, she saw the dark circles hanging beneath those glinting eyes.   
  
“It’s not a problem.” Delphine stepped closer to her partner, a slight furrow to her brow now. “Do you take something to treat them?”   
  
“No, no,” Cosima quickly brushed away the suggestion. “I’ve always gotten them...it’s kind of expected at this point.” She spoke the response as if medicine was beside the point.   
  
“You know, modern medicine is an ever advancing field…” The doctor’s clip couldn’t help but let slip. “I could easily--”  
  
“No, thanks. I’ve...tried it before.” Cosima ran her hand over her head, physically willing the pain back. “You’re not the first M.D. who’s wanted to write me prescriptions. You can’t cure everything, Dr. Cormier.”   
  
“As you wish.” Delphine nodded simply, easing over to the new desk that had arrived at some point during the week. It was shoved awkwardly into a nook, and Delphine wondered if Cosima had been there upon its delivery, had directed it to this location. She wondered if her partner ever even _left_ this basement, essences of Cosima’s homemaking infusing the space. The surface of the new desk, _Delphine’s_ desk, was devoid of any miscellany, in sharp contrast to the rest of the basement. Delphine wondered if glare from clean surfaces contributed to Cosima’s ailment, a practical reason for the clutter.  
  
“This just came in,” Cosima interrupted Delphine’s thought, suddenly present in front of her partner’s desk and dropping a file onto the blank surface. Delphine opened it, eyebrow raised, before Cosima elaborated. “It’s a missing children case.”  
  
Delphine’s eyes scanned the documents before her. Three missing, all between the ages of eight to ten years of age. Little evidence, abducted near their homes…   
  
“We’re leaving this afternoon to question a new person of interest.”  
  
“I don’t see any indication of --”   
  
“It’s not a suspect,” Cosima paused again. “She’s a victim.”  
  
“A child?” Delphine’s eyes had left the papers, instead focusing on Cosima’s. They held a dark intensity, swirling with a silent storm.  
  
Cosima nodded, holding the gaze with her partner. “She’s nine. All of her details match what’s known of the other victims...but she was never kidnapped. Hasn’t even left her home since the abductions began.” The small worry line appeared in Delphine’s forehead as she attempted to decipher Cosima’s riddle. Her eyes were back on the file, going over the reports and statements again, looking for the connection. Her fingers found their way to her unadorned ears once more, tugging for a moment. Movement made her raise curious eyes, meeting Cosima’s intent gaze which had not left the blonde. “Sometimes,” Cosima began, leaning her weight forward on the desk, “you need someone else to do the looking when you’ve lost something.”  
  
Cosima smirked at Delphine’s silent open mouth, speaking before Delphine could ask further. “Come on, we’ve got a plane to Boston to catch.”

 

\\\\\

Delphine spent the short flight thoroughly absorbing all of the information they had, the slightly sick feeling gnawing somewhere between her stomach and heart. It had been over 48 hours since the first abduction, they had little evidence, barely an eye-witness account of a _possible_ vehicle…  
  
And yet Cosima sat, surprisingly buoyant for the grim details Delphine was reducing and beginning to simmer in. Delphine closed the file in favor of studying her partner’s profile. The eerie astuteness, _perhaps even a hint of premonition?_ , was not lost on Delphine. Cosima acted as if she _knew_ something already, had her own intel that she wasn't sharing with Delphine. The blonde narrowed her eyes unconsciously, beginning to challenge the trust she wanted to harbor for the brunette. _Does she have someone on the outside, a source she didn’t want to put at risk? Is that what all of this fuss from the Bureau is about?_

  
But then Cosima shifted her head, knowingly meeting Delphine’s gaze, a look as if she could hear Delphine’s internal dialogue. “You’re staring, Cormier.” And Delphine felt that tickling tugging again, pressing internally in the center of her head. She tried to resist the feeling of submersion that Cosima’s liquid look induced. “Any thoughts on the case?”  
  
Delphine cleared her throat and shut her eyes forcefully. With a sigh, she began, “My thoughts are...bleak. This situation feels bleak. I haven’t worked on a case with children in a very long time, let alone _missing_ children…”  
  
“But I bet you also haven’t had a witness, a survivor, to speak for the missing persons.”   
  
“Niehaus, I don’t think we can begin to call her a survivor. There are strange coincidences between her account and what is known from the other abductions, but it’s not to say those couldn’t have been conjectured by a child’s mind while her fearful parents watched the local news with her in the room.”   
  
“I’m glad to see you’re embracing your role as my foil. The Bureau would be _proud_.” Cosima smirked at her partner before facing forward in her seat again, the plane beginning its swirl of a descent.

  
\\\\\  
  
  
Delphine sat beside Cosima on a couch in the living room of Jane Kowicki, a small nine year old girl, with eyes that could almost grow to the size of Cosima’s when excitable. The girl and her mother were squeezed together on a small armchair. Delphine watched the immediate change in Cosima, the softening and warming of her entire being as she directed her attention solely on Jane. Jane’s eyes hadn’t left Cosima’s since the agents had crossed the threshold of the home.   
  
Delphine swallowed, listening to Cosima’s soft inquiries and the almost immediate responses from the girl. The strength of their shared gaze sent ripples through the room, a palpability that Delphine couldn’t understand nor sit comfortably with. She watched the mother instead, noting her nervousness, her eyes never leaving her daughter. Delphine noticed the soft palpitations of the mother’s hand, tensing on her daughter’s shoulder when Cosima said certain words.  
  
The blonde agent shifted her weight, knee nudging against her partner’s until Cosima tore  her eyes away from Jane’s. They were cloudy and held an increasingly familiar swirl. Delphine blinked once before shifting her eyes to Jane’s mother, directing Cosima’s thoughts toward the woman who may be swaying her child’s responses. Cosima offered a barely noticeable nod to Delphine in acknowledgement, before resuming her connection with Jane.  
  
Just as quick, Jane spoke up. “Mom, can I have some juice?”  
  
“O-of course, sweetie. I’ll be _right_ back.”  
  
Cosima was already dropping forward onto her knee, eye level with the girl. “Do you know where they are now?”  
  
The girl frowned, struggling to find the words. “It’s hard to tell...I...I’ve been there but I don’t know where there is.”   
  
Cosima’s voice dropped even lower, leaving Delphine leaning forward to catch the words. “You can try to show me.” Cosima reached forward, fingertips lightly touching the girl’s wrist. Delphine watched on, the girl’s shut eyes squeezing tightly, and Cosima’s growing darker by the second. Delphine’s breath quickened, unsure of what was transpiring before her. But then the sound of Jane’s mother’s footsteps echoed back down the hallway. Before Delphine could grab Cosima from her trance, her partner was back beside her on the couch, her eyes blinking away whatever they had seen.  
  
Jane was handed her juice, her mother resuming her protectful perch. Delphine still watched Cosima, whose shoulders had begun to slump.   
  
“Thank you for speaking to us, Jane. And thank you, Mrs. Kowicki. It’s been very helpful.” Cosima was ending it quickly, and Delphine picked up where her partner was falling off.  
  
“Yes, you’ve definitely contributed to our investigation. Please call us if anything else is remembered.” Delphine slipped across a card, standing to follow a hastily retreating Cosima. Before the brunette reached the door, she turned to meet the child’s questioning eyes once more.   
  
“Be well, Jane.”  
  
  
\\\\\

  
The front door had barely closed behind them and Cosima was already lurching towards their rental car. “You drive,” she croaked, her fingers digging into her coat pocket then shakily shoving keys into Delphine’s hands.   
  
“Niehaus?” Delphine walked quickly to keep up with Cosima stumbling forward. Cosima knocked awkwardly into the passenger door of the car, grasping at the vehicle for stability. Delphine was more pressing now. “Niehaus? Are you okay?” She gripped Cosima’s bicep in concern.  
  
Cosima turned slightly, eyes trying to focus on Delphine’s. “I uh...my head…” Cosima’s voice trailed off before her eyes rolled back and her body limply slumped between the car and Delphine.   
  
“Merde.” Delphine shouldered her partner upright, pulling her weight away from the car long enough to open the door and begin sitting Cosima’s unconscious body inside. Once she was  securely reclined in the seat, Delphine felt her pulse, _steady_ , and pressed the back of her hand to Cosima’s forehead, _cool_. “ _Merde_.” Delphine let out a heavy sigh before gently shutting Cosima’s door and striding quickly to the driver’s side. She climbed in, calculating how far away they were from a hospital...  
  
She looked over to her partner, worry creasing her forehead and making her chew on her bottom lip. “Niehaus?” She pressed her palm against her partner’s cheek, this time a little less clinical in intention. And after another moment of distraught gazing at Cosima, the brunette twitched, eyes quickly blinking back open. Her breathing picked up as her eyes regained focus and finally held steady with Delphine’s.  
  
“Hi,” Cosima spoke simply, nonchalant. That’s when Delphine realized she still had her hand tenderly placed against Cosima’s face. “Your eyes keep changing color. Like a mood ring,” Cosima’s voice rang with honestly, still staring. Delphine let her hand fall away awkwardly, the humidity and pressure in the car rolling in like a storm.   
  
“Are you okay?” Delphine tried to reorient her thoughts medically.   
  
“Oh, yeah. Uh, sorry about fainting on you. And thanks for getting me back in the car...we weren’t in the car yet, right?”  
  
“Non. You almost made it, though,” Delphine finally let the tension release from her shoulders, things seemed normal again. “You knew you were going to faint then?”  
  
“Yeah. It’s not really that uncommon for me. Sorry I didn’t warn you. I usually get myself horizontal, or at least sitting down with something to slump on, before I’m actually _out_. The...interview was intense. It was hard to get away fast enough.” Cosima looked out the window, remembering why they were here in the first place.   
  
“Do you want to go see a doctor? Or would you rather return to the hotel to lie down?”   
  
“No no no,” Cosima interrupted with a wave of her hand, regaining some composure and sitting upright in her seat again. “We have to follow our lead.”  
  
\\\\\  
  
“I don’t understand how aimless driving is going to further this investigation…” Delphine was already skeptical of Cosima’s wavering directions, and now they had been slowly driving neighborhood roads for half of an hour.   
  
“You don’t think it’s possible Jane somehow saw what was happening to the kids who were physically taken? You don’t think what she was able to provide is worth _anything_?”  
  
“I didn’t say that, Niehaus. The details were just...non-specific.” Delphine glanced at her partner, choosing her words carefully.  
  
“And that’s why we’re cruising until things gain some clarity.”  
  
“So what? You think she was somehow there with them when they were kidnapped, just not physically?” Delphine slowed the car to a crawl, giving more attention to gauging Cosima’s expression. “Astral projection?” She furthered.  
  
Cosima guffawed, a genuine smirk on her face. “I guess that could be one way of seeing it. But maybe there’s an energy that’s released, a signal even, borne of fear, anguish, terror,” Cosima was gazing out the window, Delphine beginning to notice the signs that led to her glossed over phases. “Maybe if you’re a sensitive nine year old, you can feel when other children are being stolen, harmed, especially when they live in your neighborhood.” Delphine slowed to a complete stop now, pulling to the curb and finally meeting Cosima’s eyes with her own. “Maybe some kids are just psychic,” The corners of Cosima’s mouth wavered, almost smiling, but Delphine never noticed, once again being swallowed by Cosima’s stare.   
  
But Cosima blinked off again, shoving Delphine quite intentionally without even touching. The blonde wore a frustrated and confused expression, tired of this game that Cosima would play without any consent or informing beforehand. “Niehaus--”  
  
Cosima reached out and clutched Delphine’s forearm, but her eyes were beyond, out the driver’s window, peering into the dusk. “Cormier...look at that truck.”  
  
Delphine turned slowly, Jane’s loose description of an older work truck falling into place. And before Delphine could even remark, Cosima’s door was open and she was quickly crossing the street, towards the alley containing the vehicle.   
  
“Damn it.” Delphine quickly followed her partner before the dark obscured the small, receding frame.   
  
Cosima had reached out, gingerly placing a hand to the hood. As Delphine drew near, she could almost feel Cosima’s body humming. Delphine touched Cosima’s shoulder, drawing her back without breaking Cosima’s concentration. Cosima naturally drifted closer to Delphine’s body, slightly ashiver. Her voice was low, “This is it.”  
  
“We must call it in. Get the local squad here, the detectives--”  
  
“Those kids are _inside_ , Cormier,” Cosima’s eyes had gotten wilder. “You call it in. Meet me in there.”  
  
“ _Niehaus_!” Delphine hissed, her hand a vise around Cosima’s bicep. “Even you are not this reckless. You have a partner now,” Delphine spoke firmly, her gaze for once winning in the battle with Cosima’s.  
  
Cosima’s face softened, a soft hint of guilt washing over her features. “Call it in. But we’re not waiting for them to get here, they’ll be right behind us anyway.”  
  
Delphine sighed, quickly pulling out her cell phone and calling the police department with their location. By the time she hung up, Cosima had already unholstered her pistol and was eying a loose board across an exterior doorway on the dark building. “Cormier?” She glanced back at the blonde who readied herself and nodded, her own gun in her hands, steadied.   
  
With her consent, Cosima tore back the piece of wood, clicking the beam of her flashlight on and simultaneously aimed with her weapon. Her form ducked into the building, Delphine a step behind.  
  
They edged forward in the darkness, the dilapidated building creaked and moaned, debris rustling distractions, potential threats. Delphine was trying to steady her pulse, trying to cover Cosima’s blind spots. So far they had seen no signs of any activity in the warehouse besides vermin. Delphine was still scanning methodically when she almost bumped into a halted Cosima.  
  
“Niehaus?” She hushed, still eying the surrounding darkness, illuminating spots with her own flashlight. Her partner had gone stock-still, Delphine could imagine what her eyes looked like, _glazed_. Delphine nudged her partner’s shoulder with her own, still glaring out into the darkness surrounding them. She noticed Cosima’s armed stance slackening, becoming less alert…  
  
“This way.” But then Cosima jerked her weapon level again, angling left and pushing through plastic sheeting unafraid.  
  
Delphine followed, still glancing behind them periodically. She felt exposed. She felt dumb. She felt everything they were doing was in direct violation of protocol. They should have waited those eight extra minutes for the local enforcement to arrive, they should have put on vests. But then, as if her anxiety had spurred them on, she heard the faint tinkling of sirens in the distance. She didn’t even notice her immediate sigh of relief.   
  
“Cormier,” Cosima’s voice was barely above a whisper, and Delphine swung her light around to match her partner’s. There were three dark shapes on the ground. Small shapes. Before Delphine could stop her, Cosima was moving forward, not bothering to check her surroundings anymore. Delphine almost hissed another warning, but it was too late, and she found herself nervously covering her partner, looking for the suspect who must be nearby…  
  
Cosima was on the ground now, kneeling next to the bound children who had thankfully begun to stir with the new presences. “They’re alive,” Cosima whispered back to the blonde. The sirens had gotten louder and louder, and now both agents could hear car doors slamming somewhere outside of the building. But then there was a crunch inside, a heavy footstep, a few feet away from Cosima’s position on the ground.  
  
Delphine swung her beam of light to the source, a dark figure raising an arm to shield his eyes, a handgun distinctly glinting in Delphine’s line of sight. “Niehaus, he’s armed!” And before Cosima could raise her own weapon again, a shot had been fired. A responding crack rang from the end of Delphine’s own pistol, and Cosima had just enough time to realize she hadn’t been the target, but her partner, whose form in the darkness slumped off sideways, meeting a rusty wall and pressing into it for support.   
  
“Cormier!” The fear bounced out of Cosima’s throat. She shined her light quickly on the suspect on the floor, a red puddle forming around his torso. She kicked away the handgun on the floor, sending it skidding into the shadows, before she spun and rushed to the blonde who she could hear breathing heavily now.  
  
“Fuck! Delphine…” Cosima’s voice was pleading and panic, her body pressing close to the blonde’s, her flashlight thoughtfully angled away from blinding Delphine. “Where were you hit?” She was desperately trying to locate the wound. How could she have been so foolish? They both should have been vested, she should have never rushed forward without securing the whole room…  
  
“Shoulder,” Delphine panted out, her lip was between her teeth in a grimace. She allowed Cosima to shoulder some of her weight, leaning forward into her partner. “It’s ok...I think it just grazed me.” The pain was bright and burning, but not debilitating.   
  
“Shit! I’m so sorry...this is my fault.” Cosima had her palm pressed into Delphine’s arm, blood warming her skin. Delphine opened her eyes, finally meeting Cosima’s whose for once shone nothing but regret and honesty. They stood together for several moments in silence, eyes locked, blood oozing between Cosima’s tight fingers, Delphine’s breath trying to even over raggedness.   
  
And then rows of boots marching broke them from their trance, Cosima stepped back a pace from the intimate space she had been occupying, snapping her eyes back to a less vulnerable state. “Medic! We have an injured agent over here!” Cosima’s protocol seemed to be returning. The room was lit up with more lights, more bodies, as the action rushed around the two agents. Cosima’s hand didn’t leave Delphine’s arm as they eventually were led away from the scene.  
  
\\\\\  
  
They hadn’t spoken much on the flight home, both processing the events. Cosima still radiated guilt, but Delphine felt herself being washed in surprising indifference over her slight injury. She chose to ignore conjecturing on what if it had hit her a few more inches to the right...But that’s clearly where Cosima’s mind was spinning.  
  
They de-boarded, both moving together towards ground transportation. Delphine awkwardly halted outside, looking to the line of taxis. Do they take separate cabs? Cosima was still staring at her like a kicked puppy, regret rippling. Before Delphine could even ask, Cosima stepped forward.  
  
“Let’s share a cab. Drop you off first. I can at least make sure you get home undisturbed.”  
  
“I’m fine,” Delphine tried to brush off the concern. Her arm barely twinged anymore. But Cosima was already holding open a cab door, looking expectantly at her partner. Delphine relented, slipping into the yellow vehicle first.  
  
They settled on either side of the back seat, not too close. Delphine gave her address, before slumping back and closing her eyes in exhaustion. She hadn’t been able to sleep on the flight and it was nearing 9am. She could feel Cosima’s eyes wandering her body, frequently returning to her injured arm. The weight of a gaze had never felt so heavy to her before.   
  
She heard Cosima opening her mouth, taking another breath, before she interrupted, “You don’t need to apologize anymore, Niehaus. For a shooting, it really couldn’t have been less damaging.”   
  
Cosima nodded, eyes turning down. “It still won’t happen again. I’m...I’m just sorry for having such bad partner etiquette. It’s been a while…”  
  
“We all have lapses.” Delphine realized her voice was strained, all business. She relaxed, taking a breath. “You did well...finding them. That was all because of you.”   
  
Cosima shrugged. “It was actually thanks to Jane.”  
  
Delphine’s mind flipped back to the young girl, the moment she had witnessed between the child and her partner. “So...in my report, do I say that we drove aimlessly, heeding a dream vision of a local child?” There was a note of teasing in Delphine’s voice, but she was attempting to fish for the truth.   
  
The corners of Cosima’s mouth tugged up. “It wasn’t _aimless_ , Cormier. And it’s your report, you should say exactly what you experienced, right?” She was wearing a full smirk now.   
  
Delphine sighed. They had turned a corner, nearing her apartment building. Cosima still held everything too close. The car rolled to a stop, Delphine shoving money forward with a quick “Merci.” She looked back to her partner, hesitating before exiting the vehicle. Looking like she might not say anything, she took a breath and shoved forward anyway. “Where do I look for them then?”  
  
A moment of confusion passed across Cosima’s features before she met Delphine’s eyes and recognized the question for what it was. A full grin broke over her features, before she leaned forward with her secret, lips close to the blonde’s barren ear. “You’ll have to get really comfortable, and then you’ll have to dig really deep.” Cosima pulled away, teeth still glinting.   
  
Delphine shook her head minutely at the riddle, opening the door and standing outside. “See you tomorrow, Niehaus.”  
  
“Goodnight, Cormier.”

 

\\\\\

 

  
Delphine barely got her door locked and coat off before she collapsed on her couch, unable and unwilling to climb in her bed still so filthy with dried blood and dirt. She sank into the plush cushions, cheek pressing gratefully into a pillow. Everything could wait until she woke up, she just needed a few hours of sleep first…  
  
And as she slowly sank into the deep couch, body finally releasing the tension from the past day’s work, she found Cosima’s words bouncing around her head. Without much thought, Delphine sat up a little, took her hand and plunged into the crevice made between the cushions. She felt nothing at first, but continued her rooting, her slim wrist slipping further into the couch. When she felt she could reach no more, a slight prick tickled her fingertip. She stood up and pulled the cushion off, digging further, before she pulled her hand back. Opening her palm, she revealed two glinting gold earrings. She placed them on the coffee table, leaning back down into a prone position. She felt her eyes struggling to stay focused on her earrings as she swiftly dropped off to sleep.


	3. habitat

“Good morning, sunshine,” Cosima was already smiling at Delphine. The blonde noted her positive demeanor. She looked surprisingly refreshed, certainly no headache today.   
  
“Bonjour.” Delphine slipped her things onto her desk, easing down into her chair, but Cosima was already on her feet, moving to lean against the front of her own desk, facing Delphine expectantly.  
  
“How’s your arm?”  
  
“Fine,” Delphine responded curtly. She had taken painkillers already for her arm, but she still felt tired. Her sleep had been broken with loud and jarring dreams. She took a breath, realizing she was being icy to Cosima on the first day the brunette seemed eager to interact with her partner. “You seem...chipper today, no?”  
  
“Oh, uh, yeah,” Cosima smiled at her. “I think you’re gonna like this one, Cormier.” And she was already placing another file on Delphine’s desk, canines poking out of her mouth.   
  
Delphine scanned the documents again, piecing what had been scraped together, very loosely at that. “The locals cannot discern whether they are animal or human disturbances? Was this death even murder?”  
  
Cosima still wore the knowing grin before pulling another file folder off of her own desk and offering it to Delphine. “Here’s some of my other research, which I think is highly relevant to this investigation.”  
  
Delphine only had to open the file before she realized what Cosima was doing. “Bigfoot? Really, Niehaus?”  
  
“Oh, come on! You know you’ve always wondered--”  
  
“Actually, I’ve seen all of the evidence of men in furry suits and giant, plaster foot molds…I didn’t think even tabloids bothered with this rubbish anymore.” Delphine was too tired to play with her partner today.  
  
Cosima was frowning a little now, sensing the rejection from the blonde. “Listen, I’m sorry about everything again...with the last case. I fucked up--”  
  
Delphine interrupted with an exhale. “It’s in the past, Niehaus. We can move forward with our next investigation. When do we leave for Washington?”   
  
“This evening. I hope you own flannel, Cormier.”

  
\\\\\

  
They landed in Seattle, Cosima now steering their rental car further and further north, creeping more slowly the deeper they found themselves in the forest, winding around mountains.   
  
“You do know where we’re going?” Delphine questioned, noticing their lack of cell phone reception as soon as they entered the density surrounding them. She had gotten a few more hours of sleep, but still wasn’t too enthused by what was clearly a hobby investigation for Cosima.   
  
“Yeah, yeah. We can check in with the sheriff first, take a look around the ‘ _crime scene_ ,’” Cosima’s bias was clear, “and then we can head to our cabin for the night.”  
  
“Cabin?” Delphine’s eyes snapped to her partner.  
  
“They don’t have a motel up here! Just cabins.”  
  
Delphine sighed. She should have stayed home for this one.

  
\\\\\

  
The sheriff had shown them what evidence and the few statements they had collected from the locals. With some general directions, they headed to the small homestead of the “attack.”   
  
“Mr. Miller?” Cosima spoke first to the mustachioed man who opened his small, wooden front door. “Federal Agents Niehaus and Cormier. We were hoping we could ask a few questions and take a look around your property?” He nodded, grabbing his shotgun and putting a large brimmed hat on his head before stepping forward into his yard, an obedient shepherd dog following his footsteps.  
  
“I’ll show you where Freddy died.”  
  
Delphine glanced from the man’s weapon to Cosima, who seem unphased by the gun and instead followed the man closely. “The medical reports show that Fred fell to his death -- broken neck. Do you believe he was actually attacked, that this wasn’t an accident?” Cosima tried to catch the man’s eyes with her questions but he stared straight ahead, unmoved.   
  
“Alls I know is Freddy was out here, tryin’ to stop whoever had been stealin’ our eggs and when I woke up the next mornin’ he was dead on the ground.”   
  
“But he was armed, and you heard no shots fired, correct?”   
  
“Nope, didn’ hear a thing.”  
  
“Were you and Fred expecting a coyote or wolf?”  
  
They were nearing the small wooden structure Fred Haines had fatally fallen from less than four days ago. The chicken coop stood another fifteen feet away.   
  
“Naw, we were actually expectin’ a hungry hobo. He was only takin’ the eggs, didn’t hurt a feather on our hens.”  
  
“But did you ever actually see a person?” Cosima continued her questioning as she glanced at their surroundings, the closeness of the forest.  
  
“Freddy swore last week he saw a man’s shadow, a big fella, runnin’ away from my house after Freddy shouted at him. Definitely walkin’ on two legs.”  
  
“Thank you, Mr. Miller. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a look around the property.” Cosima waited for a nod of assent from the man, before she focused on her own examination. Delphine watched the man walk off with his dog to another area, not too far. She turned back towards her partner who had climbed up the structure.  
  
“Anything up there?” Delphine questioned, unable to see Cosima’s face any longer.  
  
“Nope.” Cosima ducked her head back over the edge. “Nothing. I think he got spooked, tripped over himself when he was trying to get off of this thing. Not murder.” Cosima climbed back down, gazing at the distance to the chicken structure. “Plus, if the suspect was _gently_ removing only eggs to eat from that coop, I don’t think it was really out to make a human fall to his death. This shouldn’t have ever been classified as murder.”  
  
“So you think it was an animal?” Delphine challenged her partner’s wording.   
  
Cosima almost laughed, “I thought you _knew_ what I thought it was, some fake tabloid monster, right?”  
  
“Niehaus, you know I don’t discredit your investigations and ideas, it’s just what you showed me in the office--”  
  
“Hey look, an apple tree.” And Cosima was already walking away from her blonde partner, who was already rolling her eyes. Cosima neared the fruit tree, slowing down and carefully examining each fallen piece of fruit on the ground.  
  
“Are you that hungry?” Delphine teased. Her partner was bending down now, spending several moments eying a particular apple.  
  
“No, but somebody else was,” She stood back up, a grin on her face and an apple shoved forward into Delphine’s. “But it looks like someone had a _pretty_ big mouth for a human…”  
  
Delphine’s brow furrowed and her hand reached out, grabbing the evidence away from Cosima and angling it more helpfully in the light. The dental imprints weren’t human, Cosima had that much right.  
  
“It’s almost gorilla-like…”  
  
“You know what else is kinda gorilla-like?” Cosima was standing close again, and Delphine met her gaze. “Bigfoot,” She hushed the word for Delphine’s ears only. But her smirk was already turning away, walking towards their rental. Delphine stood motionless, apple still in hand. Cosima turned back briefly, noticing her partner’s lack of movement. “By the way, nice earrings, Cormier.” This made Delphine snap her eyes quickly to Cosima’s, the impish glint not going unnoticed.

  
\\\\\

  
“This cabin only has _one_ bed, Niehaus.” They stood in the threshold of their rental, Delphine unimpressed.  
  
“The cabin itself is also only _one room_. How many beds d’ya think they could shove in here?” Cosima noticed her teasing was not easing Delphine’s frustration. “Don’t worry, you get the bed, I’ll take the couch. I kind of plan on being outside most of the night anyway…”  
  
Delphine sighed. She didn’t know why she thought sleep would be feasible on this trip to begin with. She sunk down onto the couch, Cosima’s bed, and let her head flop back. Her arm was starting to burn again. It had been several hours since her last dose of medication.  
  
Cosima seemed to immediately sense the discomfort and stepped forward, her voice less antagonising now. “You doing okay?” Delphine shrugged, and gestured silently to her shoulder. “You stay, rest and take some meds. I’ll go grab us some food and supplies, we don’t really have uh, anything.” Delphine was too tired to be more annoyed with Cosima’s lack of preparation. She nodded, eyes still closed, and allowed her partner to leave quietly out the front door. Finally, some silence.

  
\\\\\

  
She bolted upright from her sleep. Her breathing was a bit fast as she tried to orient herself in the small wooden structure. Her memory came back quickly enough, but the sense of unease lingered. She glanced out the window; it was dusk, rapidly becoming dark. _Niehaus isn’t back yet?_ She stood slowly, gently easing her shoulder down in her socket. The burning had intensified; she had fallen asleep without taking more painkillers at Cosima’s suggestion. She dug through her small bag, finding her bottle and popping two pills into her palm. She turned on the faucet, letting the rusty water run its course before she filled a cupped hand and swallowed the medicine.   
  
As she stood at the sink, water still running, she felt her neck prickling, hair follicles raising. She snapped around, hand instinctively moving for her hip. But she had taken her holster off after falling onto the couch; it laid ineffectively on the coffee table. She glanced to all of the windows. She saw nothing, but felt certain eyes had been playing over her body moments before. _Where the fuck is Niehaus?_  
  
And as if those words were all she needed to think, she heard the crunching of wood and leaves under tires as Cosima swung towards the cabin, headlights briefly illuminating the inside for Delphine. Soon, Cosima was pushing through the front door, arms laden with bags. Delphine could barely suppress the smile of disbelief that tugged at her lips upon seeing Cosima’s new shirt.  
  
“You went clothes shopping?”  
  
Cosima glanced down at the red plaid shirt now covering her torso. “It was a general store, they had like, everything. Plus, I told you to bring flannel and you obviously didn’t.” Her hand shoved into one of the plastic bags before she pulled out another tartan shirt. “I got yours in green. Y’know, corresponding but not matching.” She gestured to her own garment while tossing the flannel into Delphine’s hands.

 **  
**If Delphine wasn’t too proud, she would have slipped it on immediately; the air had gotten chill since she fell asleep.

  
\\\\\

  
After Cosima prepared and served Delphine a humble meal of roasted vegetables, the blonde was on the couch again, gently stretching her shoulder. It hurt less now, but still proved achey. Cosima glanced up after washing dishes and cleaning, noticing the blonde’s troubles. “Oh I, uh, got you this, too.” Cosima was digging through another bag of bounty, and Delphine watched on, curious what gift would emerge this time.   
  
Cosima revealed a bottle of wine. “I don’t know why, it seemed like you would drink red.” Cosima shrugged, putting the bottle down on the table in front of Delphine.  
  
Delphine swallowed. It suddenly struck her that Cosima had cooked her dinner, bought her wine, and was staying with her in a one room, one bed cabin in the middle of the Washington forest. Was this Cosima’s bigfoot hunter fantasy? She cleared the thoughts quickly. “Merci. You didn’t have to.”  
  
“Yeah, I know. I figured it would help your arm though. And uh, your stress and stuff.” Cosima rubbed the back of her neck, for once seeming out of place. “Anyway, help yourself. I’m gonna go for a little walk.” Before Delphine could protest, Cosima was opening the door, waving her hand. “Don’t worry, I’m armed with a gun, flashlight and flannel. Nothing could go wrong.”

  
\\\\\

  
Delphine had relented, uncorked the wine, and found herself taking glugs straight from the bottle. Cosima still hadn’t returned. _It couldn’t have been that long. Twenty minutes at the most?_ Delphine tried to reason, but instead continued swallowing her drink. Her mind would not stop whirling, processing, and she just wanted to stop for a moment. She didn’t need to catch up on her thoughts right now; she took three more long swallows of the red.   
  
She ran her hand absentmindedly over her bare arm. She was still a little chill, the wine helping with the edge. She didn’t want to admit to Cosima that the shirt was indeed a useful purchase, but now that her partner wasn’t around she found herself eying the green garment slung over the arm of the couch. Counting to five, just in case Cosima came back right at that moment, Delphine lurched forward, grabbing the shirt and slipping it on.   
  
She leaned back, now fully comfortable in the warm, fuzzy embrace of flannel. She sighed, grabbing the bottle and throwing back a few more swigs. How was this her professional life now? _Hunting bigfoot, sitting in a cabin drinking wine waiting for an adorable partner dressed in matching plaid to get home…_  
  
Delphine stopped. _Am I attracted to Niehaus?_ _I haven’t even had that much wine yet..._ And so she swallowed more of her beverage and found herself tumbling into thoughts of Cosima’s immobilizing stare, that strange spell she was able to cast with a look…  
  
But suddenly a loud snap of a branch directly outside of the cabin window jerked her from her thoughts. _Merde_. That wasn’t Niehaus. The brunette would have come inside by now. She dropped the bottle back to the table, hands nervously grabbing her holster and re-strapping it to her body. _Fantastic work, Cormier. Drinking wine, alone and unarmed, while on an investigation…_  
  
With a deep breath, she shouldered the door open, weapon already drawn as she edged around the cabin carefully, clearing all four sides of the building and still finding no sign of a  suspect or her partner. She let out an annoyed huff. “Niehaus?” She called tentatively, to no response. The moon offered an impressive illumination of the ground before her, and she found herself following the clearly marked trail forward for a few paces. She glanced back, not wanting to get too far from the cabin, especially not with the slight buzz from the wine she now felt.   
  
She walked forward a few more yards before she smelled it. _Smoke_. But then the skunky punch hit her nose and she realised it wasn’t just fire she was smelling. The hovering ember caught her sight.  
  
She clicked her flashlight on, blinding and frightening an unaware Cosima, who scrambled to cover her eyes and stand upright.  
  
“ _Pot_? You’re out here getting high?” Delphine’s accusations rang out loud, but Cosima noticeably calmed when she realized it was only her partner who had caught her.  
  
“ _Jesus_ , Cormier. You scared the shit out of me. You’re such a narc, you know that?” Cosima neared slowly now, reaching and shoving Delphine’s beam of light out of her eyes. “Woah, why is your gun out?” Cosima’s eyes readjusted and she saw’s Delphine’s weapon in her hand.  
  
“Because I heard something!” Delphine hissed at her partner. “And you were out here getting high while I was alone in the cabin!”  
  
“You were there drinking wine, I was here smoking weed. I think we’re both sort of mutually guilty. And maybe mutually intoxicated…” Cosima tilted her head, finding some amusement in the situation.  
  
Delphine rolled her eyes. “Where did you even _get_ marijuana?”  
  
“Some kid outside of the store. He had _no_ idea I was the feds.” Cosima was grinning now, but before she could continue joking another branch snapped ten yards away from the pair. Delphine clutched her partner’s arm, reminded of her fear minutes earlier. Cosima’s flashlight was already flicked on, illuminating the source. A large shadow moved away from the beam.  
  
Cosima met Delphine’s eyes knowingly before they both found themselves trotting after the creature.

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima was panting now, fallen behind Delphine whose own flashlight led them onward, picking up broken branches and heavy footfalls left behind. Cosima cleared her throat, turning into a light cough before she stopped her movement, Delphine crashing on relentlessly without her.  
  
“C-cormier!” Cosima panted out ineffectually. But Delphine froze, turning to find her partner leaning against a tree, out of breath. The blonde walked back over, still glancing over her shoulder in the direction of their pursuit. “I uh, have asthma. I’m not the best runner,” Cosima explained, a little embarrassed.  
  
“Perhaps that’s why I was actually assigned to work with you. I am an astounding runner,” The brag fell naturally from Delphine’s lips, without hesitation, hurried along by alcohol and adrenaline.   
  
Cosima tried to laugh but only articulated another cough. “God, you’re completely serious, aren’t you? How are you so...Olympian all the god damned time?” Cosima’s eyes were shining with playfulness now.   
  
Delphine bit her lip, resisting the tug the shining pupils before her invited. “We’re going to lose our trail.” Her head barely nodded back to their suspect.   
  
“Do you still think we’re chasing a human?” Cosima challenged, shoving off the tree and following Delphine again.   
  
“All I know is that we are following a large biped. We actually have to catch up to know who it is. If you think you can keep up?” Delphine arched an eyebrow at her partner, before launching back into her sprint, eager to make up lost ground.   
  
Cosima groaned, picking up her pace. “It’s starting to sound like you’re enjoying the chase, Cormier!” She yelled after the preternaturally skilled athlete.

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima was completely winded now, barely staggering to the last spot she had seen Delphine. Maybe this was all getting out of hand. They were both a little buzzed, and had been tearing through unfamiliar woods in the dark for the last half hour. Cosima dragged herself to the top of a crest, expecting to call Delphine’s name to at last make her stop. But instead, she almost collided with her partner, who was standing motionless in the dark, her flashlight finally off.  
  
“Woah,” Cosima steadied herself, making sure she didn’t knock them both over the small hill in a tumble. “Finally lose steam there, Captain?” Delphine’s breath was coming in short bursts now, but she still stared forward into the darkness. “Hello? Cormier?” Cosima stepped in Delphine’s line of sight, waving her hand in front of her partner.   
  
“I saw it.”  
  
“You did?!” Cosima’s eyes widened, but Delphine still wasn’t looking at her.  
  
“We stood across from each other,” Delphine hesitated. “It wasn’t human...but it was not a wild animal either.” A calm had washed over the blonde, a sense of satisfaction. “We were chasing it away. It was afraid of us, Niehaus.”  
  
“Well, yeah, like I said, it wasn’t violently taking any of the livestock…”  
  
“Let’s go home.”  
  
“What?” Cosima double-taked back to Delphine’s face. “You’re over it? You don’t want to science the hell out of it or whatever?”  
  
“If this is its natural habitat...why should we eradicate it?”  
  
Cosima smiled back at her partner, nudging her with her shoulder as they both began to walk down the slight incline. “I hope you’re as good at finding your way back to our cabin as you are at running,” Cosima teased the blonde. “Bet you can see everything through a whole new lense now that you’re a believer, huh?”   
  
Delphine gently thwacked her partner once for her cheekiness before amiably finishing their return in a comfortable silence with one another.


	4. thirsty

“So...how’d you conclude your last report?” Cosima broke the silence of the office that had been lingering since Delphine got in earlier that morning.   
  
Delphine’s eyes flicked up from her computer. “You want me to read you the last sentence?” More than a twinge of snark.  
  
Cosima rolled her eyes. “I just mean...what’d you tell the Bureau about our investigation? What are your _feelings_ , Cormier?”  
  
“You should know I don’t write about a subjective feeling, Niehaus.” Delphine was so short, Cosima imagined she would get nothing more from her partner. “The investigation was inconclusive,” The blonde finally relented.   
  
“What?!” Cosima balked, her palms slapping flat against a small clearing on her desk.  
  
“There was certainly no evidence of murder, but the rest was inconclusive. Attributed to the wildlife of the area.”  
  
“Are you fucking kidding me? _That’s_ how you word your bigfoot sighting? In- _fucking_ -conclusive?”  
  
“The investigation is finished and my report has already been submitted. This isn’t worth arguing over.” Delphine’s matter-of-fact iciness only stung Cosima’s sense of injustice further.  
  
“Seriously, Cormier? We’ve been working together for over a month now and you still don’t believe anything? You don’t believe _me_?” Cosima’s eyes held a surprising vulnerability Delphine wasn’t expecting when she finally met her partner’s gaze.  
  
“I report what I can definitively document. What I can say I saw for a fact.”   
  
“Except you _know_ what you saw and you still didn’t report it because you don’t wanna start getting called crazy either, right?” Cosima was beginning to fume. “You know what...I shouldn’t have even bothered with you.” Cosima stood and started grabbing her bag and shoving a few chosen files inside. “Enjoy the office today. And your earrings. I didn’t have to help you find those things, by the way. That was me being nice.”  
  
And before Delphine could even formulate a response, the door to the stairwell slammed shut.

  
\\\\\

  
Delphine spent the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon researching their new case. Delphine scoffed to herself when she realized what she was digging through in Cosima’s relevant files: _vampirism_.  
  
There had been three attacks in San Francisco and the most recent murder a night ago had flagged the Bureau’s participation. All neck wounds, the death a result of prolonged blood loss. Delphine knew they would need to leave soon; she would perform her own examination of the body.  
  
Giving up on waiting for Cosima’s return, she dialed her partner’s cell phone and left a message after Cosima screened her call. “In case you do not come back to the office today...we leave for San Francisco tomorrow at noon,” she hung awkwardly for a few minutes on the line, not sure if an apology was expected. “...see you at the airport.”

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima greeted her merely with a nod and the briefest amount of eye contact possible before they spent the flight in complete silence. Delphine let out a long sigh after the plane finally touched down. _The silent treatment? I feel as if we are already a bickering couple…We_ are _already a bickering couple…_  
  
Delphine’s realization left a lingering crease in her brow. They shared a taxi to the police department, where Delphine was to be led to the morgue. Before she walked through the swinging doors, she turned back to her silent partner.  
  
“Niehaus--”  
  
“It’s fine, Cormier. Sorry about my outburst yesterday. I started to forget who you were, but really...you’re just doing your job,” Cosima’s eyes finally met her partner’s, both reflecting a strange hurt.   
  
“I shouldn’t be more than an hour and a half in there…” Delphine started, unsure of where she would find her partner when she was done.  
  
“Take your time. I’m going to canvas the local vamp bars.” A smile ghosted Cosima’s lips. 

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima came swishing back into the department, a new bounce in her step, approaching Delphine who had just finished washing her hands.   
  
“I’ve got a lead.”   
  
Delphine turned, noting her partner’s improved spirits. “You found some ‘vamps’ then?”   
  
Cosima let out a soft chuckle, “Well, I found the _wannabe_ vamps, but they knew about the real deal. She started showing up at parties and clubs about two weeks ago…”  
  
“That fits the timeline of attacks,” Delphine noted, pulling out their file once more.   
  
“All the pretend blood-suckers described her as ‘spooky’ and ‘intense.’ Said she took everything very seriously, and that she didn’t understand their blood mock-tails. ‘ _There is more to blood than red._ ’” Cosima’s voice slipped into an offensive Transylvanian accent. Delphine raised an eyebrow. “That’s a direct quote!” Cosima defended.   
  
“Do you have a name?”  
  
“Ingrid Utz. Just started renting from a short-term place on the other side of town.” Cosima was already spinning the car keys in her hands. “What did you think of the bite mark on the victim?” Cosima cut to the chase.  
  
“The canines extended beyond typical human length, but that easily could have been caused by a prosthetic,” Delphine cut back.   
  
“So, you’re not considering an actual case of vampirism, yet?”  
  
“Like those you’ve already met, I believe people act as what they wish to be. And they are very skilled at finding the means to do so,” Delphine walked beside her partner now, en route to their rental car.   
  
“You’re definitely not a born-this-gay sorta lady, are you Dr. Cormier?” Cosima’s own fangs were on display.  
  
“Niehaus, we can discuss queer politics when we’re not on the clock.”

  
\\\\\

  
Delphine’s knuckles tapped the apartment door, polite but firm. A few moments passed before the it slowly drew back, a raven-haired woman revealed through a few inches. Delphine was quick to draw her badge, identifying officially, “Special Agents Cormier and Niehaus with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Are you Ingrid Utz?” Delphine pocketed her badge, feeling the woman’s green eyes trail over her body before snapping to her partner’s.   
  
“Yes,” The last letter dragged out into a barely audible hiss. “How may I help you?” Her eyes were flashing now that they had locked with Cosima’s; Delphine swallowed.  
  
“We’re investigating a murder that happened two nights ago. Could you tell us what you were doing Sunday night?”  
  
“I went to a bar. Had a few drinks. Then I came back home.” Her eyes still had not left Cosima’s and Delphine was beginning to feel the shift in energy rolling off of her partner.   
  
“You were alone?” Delphine continued, trying to draw attention from anyone, regain control of the uncomfortable situation unfolding.  
  
“No,” Ingrid’s eyes finally glanced to Delphine’s. “I took home a lover. We spent the night together.”  
  
“Does this lover have a name?” Delphine prodded, but Ingrid had already lost interest in the blonde again.  
  
“I didn’t catch it…Is this potential murderer someone I should be afraid of?” She turned her voice innocent, leaning minutely forward towards Cosima.  
  
“Ms. Utz, have you ever tasted human blood?” Delphine was getting tired of this psychic eye-fuck happening in front of her.   
  
“Excuse me?” This caught Ingrid’s attention.   
  
“Would you consider yourself a vampire enthusiast? An undead groupie? We’ve had witnesses place you at several local ‘vampire parties,’” Delphine edged in.   
  
Ingrid chuckled, her eyes glinting at Delphine’s challenge. “Oh yes, _that_. The goths, they’re very European, no? It’s comforting. You should try it, you may find you like it,” A slow- spreading smirk graced the woman’s thin face, cheekbones cut high. “Or perhaps your partner is the more ‘alternative.’” Cosima was still tranced into silence. Delphine wanted to stomp on her foot.   
  
“We’ll be in touch, Ms. Utz. Good evening,” Delphine barely kept the huff out of her voice, already turning on her heel. But Cosima still lingered near the doorway, and before Delphine could scold her, Ingrid reached out an arm, running it down the sleeve of Cosima’s trenchcoat.   
  
“Is there someway I could contact you? If I see something suspicious?” Her voice dripped all over Cosima’s lulled form.   
  
And faster than Delphine could walk over and tear them apart from one another, Cosima had reached in her coat and produced a business card, slipping it into Ingrid’s palm.

  
\\\\\

  
They were a few blocks away in the cab before Cosima gave her head a shake and came back to the reality of sitting beside an irritated Delphine.   
  
“She was...strange.” Cosima rubbed at her head, trying to regain some unknown sensation.  
  
“You seemed enchanted.” Delphine’s clip was short, and Cosima noticed instantly.   
  
“Did I do something wrong?”  
  
“Other than drool at the feet of our suspect?” Delphine’s eyes were narrowed, untrusting.   
  
“I was not! Honestly!” Wide eyes at the accusation, Cosima was rubbing at her forehead again, “I was sort of out it anyway, I think the jetlag caught up with me...You did all of the talking, I didn’t even _interact_ with her!” Cosima’s defense came in waves as she tried to recall her actions, still foggy.  
  
“You gave her your card.” Delphine was stepping out of the cab and heading up the steps to their hotel rooms. The blonde was gliding as easily as the ice she emitted.   
  
“Are we actually fighting about this?” Cosima clumsily trotted after her partner, attempting to get her to ease her skating pace. “C’mon, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean...whatever I did back there.”  
  
Delphine’s steps didn’t slow, her door was within sight now. She rushed herself from her partner, unsettled with her own behavior. She needed to be alone.   
  
“Ugh!” Cosima groaned, half-heartedly scuffing her foot in frustration, halting a few feet away from Delphine who fumbled in her pockets for the keycard to her room. “You know, I was gonna ask you if you wanted to have dinner, you didn’t even _need_ to get all jealous--”  
  
“Goodnight, Niehaus. I’m sure you can find someone else to dine with.” Delphine’s eyes were frozen, turned off even from Cosima’s prying powers. She stepped inside, the door shut without a glance.

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima found herself back at the goth bar, eye make-up applied a little heavier, a black trench coat that fit her mood and form. She sat at the bar, back facing the crowd, starting into her second drink. In all honesty, she didn’t want another date for the evening. She had already spent the day prepping an apology speech for Delphine, but the blonde had upturned the need for all of her carefully chosen words. Instead, they hung useless in Cosima’s head, beginning to blur and spin resentful with the alcohol. _Who the hell does Cormier think she is? Just a damn genius goddess doctor from some heavenly plane..._ Cosima forcefully shook her head again. “Fuck,” She muttered to herself, grinding her teeth a little, then replacing that habit with the alcohol in hand.  
  
She wanted to slip under, let her eyes start swimming. She could still feel Delphine, could probably read her from here...It’s not like she hadn’t been practicing, sending out tentative brushes of thought to the blonde, noting when hazel eyes turned sharp before starting to fall…  
  
And then a hand fell on Cosima’s shoulder.   
  
“Agent Niehaus?” A slow and deliberate drawl.  
  
“Ingrid Utz,” Cosima identified automatically, shifting to face the woman who slipped onto the barstool beside her.   
  
“Are you conducting interviews?” Ingrid’s eyes were dying to stroke Cosima’s.  
  
“Oh, uh, no,” Cosima’s awkwardly raised her glass with a shake, near sloshing. “Just having a drink.”  
  
“Your partner doesn’t drink?” Ingrid was leaning closer now, desperate to trap Cosima’s gaze. The agent kept her eyes on the swirling liquid in her palms at the mention of the blonde, unconsciously beginning the motions of trying to pry into Delphine’s thoughts -- just a little.   
  
“No.” Cosima broke herself off, finally lifting her eyes to meet Ingrid’s, an intractable mistake.  
  
Ingrid’s eyes shone with the contact, a sharp tooth poking over her lip in a grin. After minutes of lustful staring as she played with Cosima’s thoughts, she leaned into the agent, “You’re a fun one. I think we have a mutual talent.” Her breath warmed Cosima’s ear.   
  
Cosima blinked hard, trying to regain herself a little, ease the sudden desire that was tickling under her ribs. “I think you’re better at playing the game than I am,” She managed to mutter, taking another long swallow of her drink in reprieve from the demands of the vampire’s gaze.  
  
“Would you like to come home with me?” Her breath was still on Cosima’s flesh.  
  
Cosima stared into the swirl again, for the moment in control of her own thoughts.  
  
“Yes.”

  
\\\\\

  
Her lip was beginning to ache from all of the nervous chewing. The crease deepened in her brow. Delphine let out her third extended sigh of the hour. She picked up her phone again, debating the desire to text an apology to Cosima. The blonde had already admitted to herself nearly twenty minutes ago that she would indeed rather be having dinner with her partner than sitting here anxious as a lover over Cosima’s whereabouts.   
  
She felt a hint of a foreign tickle behind her eyes, but in a split it was gone, had never even been there to begin with. Another sigh, and then she was slipping on her trench and marching down the hallway to her partner’s room. Anxious knocking, hanging two minutes, now five... _Niehaus wouldn’t make me wait this long?_ This was beyond an icy retribution. With a final sigh, Delphine pulled out her cellphone, dialing Cosima.  
  
Ignored again. And now Delphine felt her unease start to turn in a different direction. She quickly found the list of bars Cosima had visited earlier. After a brief reassurance to herself that she wasn’t being nagging or needling, this was nothing but concern, she went downstairs. Another fast reference for directions, and she was on her way to the first possible haunt.

  
\\\\\

  
She had stopped by two bars already, nobody had seen anyone meeting Cosima’s description. Or at least, that’s what the bartenders claimed. Delphine could feel their dismissal at her pink lips and gentle blonde curls. She trudged on to the third, this time the bartender giving a firm nod after Delphine began talking. Her heart eased back a little in relief.  
  
“How long ago was she here?” Delphine strained to be heard over the industrial booming coming from the sound system.  
  
“Maybe two hours? She left with a...vixen.” The bartender winked at the blonde.   
  
Delphine didn’t even respond. She spun around, wide-eyed, mind beginning to lurch. Sleeping with a suspect was certainly a violation, and as her _partner_ , she had to stop Cosima. But then her stomach turned. Cosima hadn’t seemed entirely in control of herself in the presence of Ingrid Utz...With another anxious twist from her midsection, Delphine pushed herself off of the bar, a quick step towards the rentals where she had first interrogated Ingrid.

  
\\\\\

  
The three loud raps this time were not polite. Delphine briefly thought about how she actually sounded _official_ now, forceful. There was no immediate response. She banged louder, leaning in, listening carefully… There was a distinct shuffle inside, a door being opened…  
  
Delphine was pounding now. “FBI! Open the door!” Still no reaction from behind the thin panel. Delphine frowned, eying the weak handle before she found her boot smashing close to the frame repeatedly. After five _hard_ strikes, Delphine’s thigh screaming from the force, a squelch of splintering wood resounded. Delphine sighed, throwing her shoulder into the door, finishing the job.  
  
Her gun was out as she swung inside, clearing the living room and bathroom as she approached the lone door to the bedroom. She threw it open with one hand, the other immediately training the site of her weapon before her eyes landed on the bed. Cosima’s pale face lolled back unconscious on the pillows.  
  
Delphine’s wide, worried eyes glanced for signs of anyone else in the apartment, but they were alone. A breeze filtered in through an open sliding glass door. Holstering her weapon, Delphine rushed to her partner. She was relieved Cosima was still clothed, immodest only by a few buttons undone on her shirt. “ _Cosima_ ,” Delphine sat beside her partner, quickly moving to take her pulse. As her fingers pressed to the right of Cosima’s jugular they were coated in a sticky, warm wetness.  
  
Delphine gently tilted her partner’s chin with her clean hand, exposing Cosima’s neck and the two neat but bleeding puncture wounds. She reached into her coat, pulling out a handkerchief and applying it to Cosima’s injury. French hushed over the blonde’s lips as she grasped her partner’s wrist, feeling for a heartbeat echoing through arteries. It was there, weakened but still pulsing. Her chest finally relieved the clench.   
  
She continued holding Cosima’s head, attempting to ease her body, and thus her neck wound, a little more upright. The blonde’s hands slipped under Cosima’s ribs, their chests nearing with Delphine’s efforts. And as she finally made some leeway, pushing Cosima further up the pillow, her own face drawing nearer to her partner’s…  
  
“Cormier?” Cosima’s eyes waded open, struggling against herself.   
  
“Cosima,” Delphine was still hovering over her partner’s body, her hand pressed to the brunette’s neck.  
  
“Where, uh, are we?” Cosima’s voice was raspy; she tried to shift but failed to get much movement out of her body.

“Ingrid Utz’s rental,” Delphine responded simply.  
  
“ _Fuck_ ,” Cosima shut her eyes again, this time in frustration. But they flew open moments later in her apology, her words slightly slurring, “I’m _sosorry_ , Delphine. I...I was having a drink andthen I sawher and then...I don’t remember much else until you,” Cosima’s eyes refocused on Delphine’s. They didn’t carry their usual edge or dexterity, they seemed sluggish... _intoxicated_ , Delphine realized. Her blood loss was certainly having an effect. “Delphine, I...I don’t think I slept with the suspect...did I?”   
  
“You are fully-clothed. And your neck is bitten,” She glanced to her hand still pressing into Cosima. “I think she was more interested in your blood than your body.” There was a gentleness in Delphine’s gaze.   
  
“Oh, fuck,” Cosima repeated, eyes beginning to swirl in concern. “Am...am I gonna be ok? Am I gonna vamp out?” Delphine felt the slow pulse quicken under her fingers, Cosima’s sincere fear.  
  
“You’ll be fine. You need fluids, to replenish. But you haven’t lost a critical amount of blood, don’t worry.” Delphine suddenly felt their _closeness_ , all the places her body was pressing into Cosima’s.   
  
Cosima relaxed back into the bed at her partner’s reassurance. “I’m sorry, Cormier. I’m just like...a parody of myself at this point. And you’re just some beautiful doctor who shouldn’t even be _anywhere_ below ground level, not shoved in the freaky psychic’s basement--” Cosima halted, but not at Delphine’s eyes which flashed bigger at her partner’s revelations, as the blonde feared. A slow smile started to crack Cosima’s lips. “Are we laying on a suspect’s bed together right now, Cormier?”   
  
“You were bleeding on a suspect’s bed. I’m helping you _not_ bleed.” Delphine’s clip was tight, controlled. She ignored the way her skin was tingling against Cosima’s.   
  
Cosima’s lazy grin stayed in place as she managed to reach up a hand, gently tugging on one of Delphine’s curls. “Are you always in doctor mode, Delphine?”  
  
Delphine felt a warmness swaddling her ribs, tugging down into her abdomen as Cosima’s fingers softly remained in her hair. She felt her body leaning closer, shifting in excuse for continuing to apply pressure to Cosima’s neck. Their faces were closer than she realized, Cosima’s eyes shifting darker, breath puffing softly over parted lips…  
  
Delphine felt herself automatically leaning forward. She halted, her nose inches from Cosima’s. “We can’t, Cosima…” Her words were palpable against her partner’s mouth.   
  


The brunette’s eyes blinked, meeting Delphine’s honestly. They a held a bit more of their normalcy by now, but she barely nodded. _Okay_ , resounded in Delphine’s head without vocalization. “Could you help me back to our hotel?” Cosima’s voice was weak, Delphine nodded this time, scooping her partner under the shoulders, and continuing to hold her a little closer than necessary on their cab ride back.  


  
\\\\\  


  
They reached the top of the stairs together, Cosima awkwardly halting, her balance swayed by dizziness. “Could you...could I…” Cosima fumbled over her request, eyes uncharacteristically not meeting Delphine’s. The blonde steadied her partner, trying to understand. “Could I stay on your couch tonight? I just--”  
  
“Come,” Delphine was already walking them towards her door. “I need to clean and dress your wound properly, anyway.” Reaching into her pocket for a key, she let Cosima slump into her side, her partner’s nose coming dangerously close to her neck every other moment. She prayed her increasing pulse wasn’t relevant to Cosima, who seemed more concerned with staying conscious and upright.   
  
Once the door was unlocked and kicked open by Delphine’s boot, she managed to ease Cosima down on the couch before her partner’s wooziness took her over the edge into another faint. The doctor quickly went about the room once free of Cosima’s weight, grabbing water and her small med kit.   
  
“Drink.” She grabbed Cosima’s hand, assisting her partner’s grasp on the glass of water. Cosima’s eyes were sluggish again, desperate to lull off.  
  
“S’hard to do this stuff, Delphine,” The slurring was back and Cosima’s unskilled fingers fumbled against her partner’s. Delphine reached up, one hand cradling the back of Cosima’s head as the other eased the glass to Cosima’s dry lips. Delphine’s heart was skittering again and she scolded herself over and over for puncturing some wall of normal doctor-patient conduct that had failed the moment she tried to treat her partner as simply another body needing help. Delphine was thankful Cosima’s eyes were closed as she swallowed the water.   
  
Setting the now empty glass aside, Delphine was relieved to focus on her small kit, grabbing disinfectant and gauze, letting her hands autopilot across the necessary supplies. She looked up at Cosima, whose eyes were slowly following the movement of her fingers. Delphine realized she would again have to brush the soft skin of Cosima’s neck, and why couldn’t she control the swirling feelings for her partner at this incredibly inopportune moment?   
  
Swallowing once, Delphine reached up, quickly swabbing and then applying the clean bandage, removing her hands as swiftly as possible. She re-latched her med kit, putting it away and still avoiding eye contact with Cosima. She refilled the glass of water and returned it to the small table near the couch. The blonde awkwardly stood in front of her partner for a moment before easing herself back beside Cosima on the seat, a safe eight inches away from the other woman’s side.   
  
Cosima’s head had been tossed back against the firm cushion, eyes shut. At feeling the weight of her partner beside her, she quirked an eyebrow over the rim of her frames, her eyes squinting open at Delphine. “Thank you,” her voice was still raspy. “I’m feeling a little better, I think.”  
  
“Good,” Delphine nodded, chancing a peek at her partner before looking back down into her lap.   
  
“I’m sorry...again. I feel like I’m always going to be apologizing to you,” Cosima sighed, body unconsciously shifting closer to the blonde’s.   
  
“It’s ok, Cosima. I’m just glad you’re...in one piece,” Delphine finished strangely, again letting her eyes bounce over to Cosima’s face before skittering away, afraid to look too deeply.   
  
Cosima let out another deep sigh, this time her head rolling to the side to land softly on Delphine’s shoulder. The blonde stiffened in disproportion to Cosima’s form relaxing into her side. “Y’know, I think I’m getting used to you...it’s nice,” Cosima’s mouth mumbled, barely opening enough to even qualify as a slur. And before Delphine could respond, she felt the slump of unconsciousness as Cosima’s full weight pressed into her body.   
  
Despite the pounding in her chest and the alarm ringing _INAPPROPRIATE_ within the walls of her mind, Delphine took three deep breaths before she leaned back onto the couch, the shift causing one of the blonde’s arms to inevitably cradle her partner’s smaller form. After eleven and a half minutes of calming, silent, mantra chanting, Delphine felt her eyelids fall lower. Just as her lashes found themselves brushing and intertwining, Delphine felt a gentle hand attached to an even lighter wrist brush across her hip before settling easily around her torso. Cosima’s head nestled somewhere between Delphine’s left breast and collar bone, and for the first time in years Delphine felt comforted by the warmth at her side.


	5. haunted

Delphine blearily blinked twice before her eyes snapped to attention. There was a weight on her chest and a soft plane of skin under the fingertips of her left hand. Her heart was already thundering and she needed to move quickly and discreetly away from her sleeping companion, who would surely hear the drum beat below their ear. Shifting with an impressive grace and skill, Delphine extracted herself sideways and out, gingerly placing limbs back on the couch and off of her body.   
  
She stood in front of the small sofa, wrinkled blouse and skirt, eyes glued to the sleeping Cosima now curled into herself on the cushion. Delphine blinked again. She shifted her weight to her right leg, but remained in place, still studying her partner in the soft morning light.   
  
_Is cuddling a breach of partner protocol? Even accidental cuddling?_ Delphine began to worry her lip in the usual spot, as she tried very hard to ignore that she wanted to get back on the couch, that she would _intentionally_ break conduct code with a co-worker. Instead she turned on her heel, striding straight to the dinky coffee maker provided by the hotel room, and began to brew herself a small pot. She let her fingers busy themselves twirling over the unnecessary sugar packets tucked beside the machine. The tiny pot bubbled with percolation now, a soft aroma wafting to the rest of the room.  
  
Then the couch was squeaking and a soft groaning overpowered the steady dripping of the coffee. “Ughhh…” Cosima’s eyes were screwed shut, a palm already smashed against her brow bone.   
  
“Niehaus?” Delphine questioned softly, moving a bit closer to her partner.  
  
“This has to be the worst hangover of my lifetime,” Cosima’s speech was as gravelly as a country road, much rougher than Delphine had ever heard. “Slash migraine? Jesus H. Christ...where am I, Cormier?” She tried to squint at her partner only to hide her eyes behind folded arms over her head.  
  
“My hotel room,” The doctor went back to the coffee maker, pouring two styrofoam cups of coffee. Her hand hesitated over a sugar packet for her partner, before letting her intuition snatch the small brown square. She delivered the beverages to the small table. “Here’s coffee. But I must insist you drink this glass of water before the caffeine.” She nudged the water in front of the steaming cup.  
  
Cosima groaned again, eyes still tightly shut as she sat upright slowly, one eye barely peeking to assist her groping reach for the water. She threw back the entire glass in a matter of seconds before hungrily going for the coffee, quickly tearing open the sugar and upending the entire contents into her cup. She kept her eyes shut as she drank the coffee in silence. After about half of the cup, she finally spoke again, realizing Delphine had been quietly sitting beside her the whole time. “My mind feels...fucked. Like, actually fucked,” She sighed, squinting momentarily at Delphine.  
  
“Well, you were charmed and then bitten by a vampire. I don’t know what would normally be expected, but--”  
  
“WHAT?” Cosima forced her eyes to stay open this time, searching Delphine’s face for farce.   
  
“You don’t remember?” Delphine frowned in concern.  
  
Cosima’s eyes were shut again, squeezing the bridge of her nose, her glasses shoved up. “The last thing I remember is...you refusing to go to dinner with me. And...and...I went somewhere…”  
  
“Ingrid Utz found you. And then I found you bitten in her rental a couple of hours later,” Delphine explained what she knew of the events.  
  
“Fuck,” Cosima let out a deep sigh, an effort to let go of her forgotten memories. The silence permeated for a good five minutes before Delphine was startled by Cosima’s hand on her wrist. “Thanks again for not letting me die, Cormier.”   
  
“We’re partners, Cosima,” Delphine spoke softly, Cosima’s eyes were inviting and her hand still lingered on the doctor’s skin.   
  
Cosima let the energy hang between them before nodding and withdrawing her touch. “Let’s go home. Before I end up drained for good.”

  
\\\\\

  
It had been a week since they returned from San Francisco, spent researching and following paper trails from their small office. They had been quiet, minimally speaking unless something really merited a comment or answer. Delphine was caught up in her own strange feelings, spurred on still by the unexpected night spent on the couch with her partner. She knew she shouldn’t be dwelling, Cosima was so blood-loss drunk that she didn’t recall _any_ of the evening, let alone the closeness of their bodies, how Delphine _wanted_ \--  
  
Delphine shook her head. She was home in her modest apartment, _6:42pm_ , and she still hadn’t made a move to procure dinner for herself. Her stomach was mildly hungry, but she held on to a wine glass full of red instead, choosing to ruminate on her shapeless thoughts. Which definitely _shouldn’t_ be consumed with work, her partner; she was off of the clock and needed to leave all of that trapped in the small basement, awaiting tomorrow when she would sink back into the more than professional feelings for a psychic who could discover those thoughts at any moment…  
  
A small chime sounded from her open laptop, a news page disregarded but still open on the screen. Delphine’s eyes shifted to her computer, clicking open her inbox and seeing the new message, sourced from a suspicious randomized email and titled “NEWS FOR DR. CORMIER.” Delphine hesitated, weighing virus possibilities, before her curiosity won over and she clicked. There were links to several articles, followed by one sentence. _This may be of interest to your new line of work._ It was signed with two simple letters that struck a quickening beat in Delphine’s chest. _R.D._

  
\\\\\

  
The next morning Delphine exited the slow elevator with her own file folder of print-outs tucked under an arm. Cosima glanced up, framed eyes meeting her partner’s easily, an almost-smile gracing her lips. Instead of Delphine’s usual nod and path straight to her own desk, she walked directly in front of Cosima’s before stopping. Cosima looked back up, tilting her head in question. Delphine still didn’t speak. “You look a bit tired, Cormier. You okay?” Cosima noticed the dark circles, a general nervous energy coming from the doctor.   
  
“I have a case,” Delphine spoke directly, holding out the file but not yet putting it on Cosima’s desk.  
  
“Ooh, yeah?” Cosima was interested now, rocking back on the spring in her seat as she tucked a leg beneath herself. “You dig it up yourself?” Cosima inquired further, holding a palm open in front of Delphine, silently asking to see.   
  
Delphine nodded, another pause before she relinquished her info to her partner. Cosima flipped it open, her pupils flashing back and forth as she absorbed the content before her. Soon a smirk was growing. “Famous doctor dies mysteriously in home, then the next two families that try to live in the home vacate due to unexplainable disturbances. My, my, Cormier. I never thought _you’d_ be the one to find us a haunted house,” Cosima was all cheshire, but her smile faltered at seeing the remaining seriousness on Delphine’s face. “What, are you afraid of ghosts?”  
  
“I knew him,” Delphine spoke softly, eyes drifting off. “I studied under Dr. Aldous Leekie.”

  
\\\\\

  
“Are you sure you wanna work this case? It doesn’t have to be us, or I could go alone…” It was the third time Cosima had asked in varying forms if Delphine wanted to continue. The brunette sat behind the wheel of the rental, steering them toward the new address of one the families that had tried to buy Dr. Leekie’s home after his death.   
  
“I’m fine,” Delphine did not meet Cosima’s concerned gaze that kept trying to read her.   
  
“Did he mean a lot to you?” Cosima asked softly, still prying a little too much.  
  
Delphine’s stomach swirled with nausea at the question. It wasn’t Cosima’s fault, she hadn’t worked up the courage to divulge the circumstances to her partner. “He...he was a distinct figure in my career.” It wasn’t a lie, but it also tasted acrid coming out of her mouth.  
  
Cosima nodded, sensing Delphine’s tension. They pulled up outside of a new, modern home, eves dripping with a sense of recent construction. Cosima raised an eyebrow at the luxe presentation, leading the way to the front door, Delphine quietly by her side. The brunette knocked, meeting the eyes of the man who opened the door and giving him a quick one over. Her approach was instantly decided. She smiled kindly, “Mr. Smith? I’m Federal Agent Niehaus, this is my partner Agent Cormier. Would we be able to ask a few questions regarding your experiences in your last home?”  
  
“Oh wow,” The man widened his eyes at the display of their badges, adjusting his thin-framed glasses. “We’ve had plenty of hoaxy paranormal investigators want to talk to us, but you’re the real deal. The FBI…” He glanced between the two women before regaining himself. “O-of course, please come in officers. I mean, agents.” He cleared his throat, embarrassed. They brushed inside, following the man to his living room to begin interrogating.  
  
“You knew about the potential crime that had taken place in the home before you made a bid, correct, Mr. Smith?” Cosima was leading the questioning.  
  
“Please, call me Scott. And uh, yeah, we knew. We aren’t very superstitious folks. My wife and I are scientists…” Scott readied himself to defend his other-worldly claims. “To be honest, I was excited to get a home that size for that price, just because a most likely natural death occurred inside.”   
  
“And how long was it before you began to question your decision to move into the home?” Cosima continued, eyes tracing over the man’s features. Delphine glanced up every now and then, but mostly consumed herself with the act of jotting down notes.  
  
“About a month in for me. My wife says she knew instantly.” He looked regretful.   
  
“Is your wife home?” Delphine suddenly spoke up.  
  
“She’s upstairs. I can see if she’d mind saying a few words, she’s sort of a sick of the questions…” He excused himself before shuffling off to a staircase.   
  
Cosima turned her attention to her partner, noting the nervousness and skittering eyes. She gently touched Delphine’s wrist, head quirked in silent concern. Delphine shook her head, thinking as loudly as she could _I’m okay_. To the doctor’s surprise, Cosima nodded her understanding, giving a light squeeze before removing her hand. Before Delphine could process her telepathic communication with her partner, a mousy woman was coming back into the room followed by Scott.  
  
“Mrs. Smith, I’m Agent Niehaus, Agent Cormier.”  
  
The woman nodded before taking a seat. “Just a few questions…” She hesitantly requested.  
  
“Of course,” Cosima oozed understanding. “Your husband told us you didn’t feel safe in your last home from the moment you moved in. Is that correct?”  
  
“Yes. There was...it felt like someone was always watching me. Always. Someone tall,” She added, eyes nervous. Delphine felt her pulse race.  
  
“Did that escalate? Did you ever see any forms, feel any physical contact?” Cosima pressed further.  
  
“I saw him standing over my bed one night. He was so tall...He was just watching me. I think he watched me sleep every night in that house,” Her voice was beginning to shake and she couldn’t meet Cosima’s eyes anymore. “He touched my collarbone when I got out of the shower one night. That’s when I told Scotty we couldn’t stay anymore. I’m lucky Scott didn’t care about the investment…” She looked at her husband, trying to shake off the old fear.   
  
Cosima opened her mouth, preparing for one more question before she halted and her eyes snapped to Delphine. Her partner was trembling slightly, eyes completely downcast. Cosima wanted to reach out, touch her, but turned back to their witnesses. “Thank you Mrs. Smith, Scott,” Cosima nodded to the couple. Standing up, still followed by a silent Delphine, she shook the hands of the couple before offering another appreciative smile for their time.   
  
They got back to the dark green sedan, Cosima waiting before turning over the engine. Delphine’s eyes were unmoving from her folded hands in her lap.  
  
“Do you want to talk?” Cosima’s voice was softer than Delphine had ever heard before. She finally tore her eyes away from the lines in her skin, hesitantly meeting Cosima’s look. She was relieved by the softness in Cosima’s brown eyes, the concern lacking any pressure.   
  
“I haven’t told you everything,” Delphine swallowed. “He was my advisor, my mentor. He was brilliant and showed me attention, wanted to have dinner with me at least one night a week. One of those nights he propositioned me. I didn’t know what to say...so I said yes.” Delphine averted her eyes, nervously rubbing her thumbnail. “It continued throughout my studies. I wasn’t violently forced...but I was coerced. I felt like I had to...give him that.” Delphine was swallowing thickly, she found she had no more words, so her eyes fell again uncomfortably.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Delphine,” Cosima’s voice was soft, held nothing other than caring for her partner. Delphine glanced up, brown irises shining with honesty and empathy. Delphine felt no shame, one of the overwhelming responses from the few people she had chosen to share her story with. And the more she gazed back at Cosima, the more she realized that _this_ is what it felt like when someone cared about and respected you. She felt teariness rising, and couldn’t control the sudden jerk of her body as she leaned forward, wrapping arms around Cosima until she had her face buried in her partner’s neck. She felt Cosima’s gentle arms hold her in return, one hand pressed soothingly flat against her back. She breathed in the spiced, earthy scent of her partner, her body relaxing into the embrace as she kept her eyes closed. Soon she felt an oddly familiar pressure, this time pressed against her closed eyelids. And then she was swimming in images, some she’d seen before, but from a perspective not her own. After trying to wade through the meaning of what she was seeing, she heard and felt a resounding thought, a strong intention. _I never want you to feel that way again_.   
  
Delphine pulled back slowly, simultaneously with Cosima who wore a slightly perplexed expression… “Did I…” Delphine hesitated, searching her partner’s eyes again, who seemed to be dawning with understanding. “Did I just read your thoughts?” Delphine hushed, her hands still resting on Cosima’s forearms.   
  
Cosima’s mouth hung open for a few speechless moments. “Well, that’s never happened to me before.”

  
\\\\\

  
Their arms remained touching, not in embrace, but both placed on the shared center console. Neither needed to vocalise the closeness in the air and in their relation to one another now that their unusual connection seemed to be able to work both ways. Delphine felt at ease, surprisingly.   
  
But she was snapped from her peacefulness as Cosima parked in front of a darkened, looming home. “Are you definitely okay with this?” Cosima asked yet again. “It doesn’t have to happen now…”  
  
“I need to do this.” Delphine’s mouth was a thin line as she peered into the darkness.   
  
Cosima nodded in understanding. “We can leave at any moment, just make the call and I’m right behind you,” Cosima was unendingly reassuring. Delphine took a last, calming breath before opening her door, quickly followed by her partner.   
  
They approached the home side-by-side. Delphine stayed close enough that their shoulders brushed with every step.

  
\\\\\

  
“God, I’ve never been in a place that dripped with this much pretentiousness _and_ skeeviness,” Cosima cringed and shuddered at the same time. “Talk about _serious_ creep residual psychic residue.” The frown she wore seemed irrevocable in the tainted space. Delphine remained by her side, close and silent with cautious eyes.   
  
They had been inside, peering into rooms for maybe fifteen minutes before they heard the first banging noise coming from the basement. Delphine froze, unconsciously pressing closer to her partner. “Nuh-uh,” Cosima shook her head immediately, “Ghosts are always trying to get you to follow their noises. And if he wants us in the basement, that means we should probably go upstairs.” Delphine followed her partner’s lead, both making their way up the stairs, flashlights alit. They walked a long hallway, leading to a wide door and sprawling bedroom with three giant panes of glass overlooking a garden.   
  
Delphine felt her partner shudder again, this time halting with a sway. “Ugh...it’s sickening feeling in here,” Cosima swallowed. Delphine glanced over, her partner physically looking queasy.  
  
“He probably brought other women here, _students_ ,” Delphine’s voice rang with a slight tremor.   
  
They both turned sharply at the loud, stomping footsteps climbing the stairs. Delphine’s heart began to race, her palms cold yet dripping with perspiration. “I don’t think that he can actually _hurt_ us, just intimidate and make things seem.... _threatening_ ,” Cosima tried to reassure but she herself seemed nervous about what might transpire. A breeze swept through the room, clicking out the beams of their flashlights, one after the other. “Oh, nice one,” Cosima scoffed, switching her flashlight on and off a few tries before holstering it again.   
  
Delphine was on her partner’s arm again, this time holding Cosima’s sleeve in a tight grasp. Cosima let her eyes adjust to the darkness, some light filtering in from the street. She scanned the room, freezing as her eyes began to make out a dark looming shadow in the corner. Delphine felt her partner stiffen. “What do you see?” The blonde hushed into Cosima’s ear.  
  
“Tall. Creepy. And bald.” This made Delphine’s hand slip into her partner’s, desperately clutching for grounding as images came rushing back to her. Cosima squeezed back twice.   
  
“Where?” Delphine tried to stabilize the tremor in her throat.  
  
“Corner. He’s just watching us.” Cosima still hadn’t moved. “Two can play that game, baldy.” She projected her voice to the corner, challenging the dead man. But then she felt a rushing sensation over skin, closing in around her throat, a slight choking noise escaping her lips before her body twitched with the invisible attack.  
  
“Cosima?” Delphine’s voice was panic, holding on to the brunette as Cosima scrabbled at her throat with her own hands. “Stop it!” Delphine shouted to the air surrounding them.  
  
Cosima willfully calmed her thoughts despite the clutch around her neck, focusing her energy until she honed her intention into a powerful wave crashing away from herself and Delphine. The rush of air was palpable, and Cosima stumbled back into Delphine’s arms, gasping for oxygen in hurry. “So maybe I was wrong about the whole not hurting us thing…” Her voice was raspy as she swallowed down more air.  
  
“We should go,” Delphine hushed, holding her partner, ready to guide them down the stairs and from the home. But before she could move, she felt Cosima being torn from her grip, the brunette’s body sent flying backwards and through the doorway. She crashed into the hallway wall, her body slumping into a pile on the floor. “Cosima!” Delphine’s yelp and rushing movement forward was cut short as the bedroom door slammed shut before her. The blonde pounded and slammed her shoulder against the unrelenting door three times before she spun on the room, anger creating her frown this time.  
  
“Coward!” She spat into the darkness. “You’ve always been afraid of those more powerful than yourself.” Her words rang with venom.   
  
_Delphine_...The name was spoken lasciviously, directly into her ear. She shook off the feeling, taking several steps forward. “Aldous,” Her tone was ice, her skin rock. She saw a shadow flicker in front of her, and she refused to become un-emboldened. “How does it feel to have nothing but an empty house to haunt?” She turned in a circle, trying to catch another glimpse. “How did it feel when you realized _Rachel poisoned you_?” Her words hissed clearly across the room, a sudden buzzing rage filling the space. “She did it for all of us,” Delphine continued, her voice had lost any quake now. “ _That_ was a present from us all. That’s what we think of the almighty Aldous Leekie. You’re nothing but a pig in a suit. You are _nothing_.” And at those words, the three large windows shattered one by one, Delphine turning and shielding herself from the slicing shards sent flying.   
  
When she uncovered her eyes, he was there. _Really_ there. He wasn’t a shadow, but stood in full form, looking exactly like the man she once knew. Her head couldn’t control the rush of fear at this point, the adrenaline pounding. He was stalking towards her, one long step at a time. His eyes were murderous.   
  
Delphine took the several steps back until she felt her heels knock against the wall behind her. He continued, close enough that his steely eyes gleamed now in the streetlight, the lecherous smile unwavering on his skeletal head. Delphine felt her chest seizing, the panic attack already washing through her veins. His long arm stretched out, he was so close to laying his hands on her again…  
  
The wooden door flew back with so much force that its handle lodged itself through the drywall, stuck in place. The crash resounded loud enough that the ghost paused to glance over, lips downturning at the intruder. Cosima stood in the doorway, panting, eyes so dark that Delphine couldn’t even see orbs in her skull. The air cracked around the brunette, audibly snapping with energy that sent minute shocks down Delphine’s skin. Before anyone other than Cosima knew what was happening, the room was illuminated with a flashing light, and Delphine felt her body pressed back into the wall with a consuming energy flooding the space around them.   
  
Delphine slowly blinked her eyes open, regaining vision gradually until she was able to make out the form of her partner on the ground, slouched forward on her knees. She moved to her, regaining stability as she dropped to meet Cosima, whose head lolled unsteadily. Delphine touched her shoulder, noting her chest still heaving with exertion. “Cosima,” The brunette’s eyes still swirled with motion as Delphine tried to meet them. She drew Cosima forward into another embrace, thankfully squeezing the back of her partner’s head into her own neck. Delphine exhaled deeply, breathing back in the crisp air surrounding them, theirs the only presences in the home.

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima’s psychic exertion left her exhausted. She slept on the car ride to the airport, barely kept her eyes open through boarding, and promptly fell unconscious as soon as they were seated on the aircraft. Her head again, like it was magnetized, found its way to Delphine’s left shoulder, soft sighs of air spilling onto the blonde’s collarbone. Delphine hesitated before letting her right arm snake over and wrap around Cosima’s bicep, giving a squeeze before settling in closer to her partner.   
  
Delphine felt slightly dishonest on several fronts. She didn’t mention to Cosima a word about Rachel Duncan, her old classmate. She didn’t know if Cosima felt her small affections, if it was terribly forward to even touch her partner while she was so completely asleep. If it was wrong of Cosima to unconsciously nuzzle into her, if it could even be helped. Or, as Delphine was beginning to feel in the pit of her stomach, fluttering up into her chest, if it was most dishonest to deny the flowering feelings and emotions she felt towards her partner increasingly every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for reading and doing everything that you do and existing. you're all very sweet and wonderful, and you make a sci-fi/horror nerd very happy to keep writing all this queer shit.


	6. monster

Delphine clicked her pen over and over, the snapping resounding around the empty office, bouncing off the tiny walls. It was only 11am and she couldn’t read any more emails to distract herself from the absence of Cosima. She hadn’t much hope that her partner would be in today, not after her state yesterday evening when Delphine shared a taxi to Cosima’s building. The brunette had barely met her eyes, mumbling a thanks and some form of ‘talk to you soon.’ Delphine didn’t have time to correct that she wanted to be thanking Cosima, that she wanted to be walking her partner up the stairs…  
  
Delphine let out a frustrated sigh, quickly busying her hands and eyes once again to divert her wandering mind. She clicked through her inbox further, willing her vision not to gloss over with the thought of Cosima’s _everything_. But then Delphine actually focused on the image and report on her screen. She squinted, leaning in.  
  
“That is curious…” Delphine mumbled to herself, her mind whirring up to the distraction of a new case. Jotting a few notes down, Delphine rolled her chair over to one of Cosima’s filing cabinets, flipping through files for keywords. She was impressed with the progress of her understanding of Cosima’s organization, vague as some parts still may be. The next drawer down settled her search, and she pulled out a thick stack of papers. Rolling back to her desk, she stretched her shoulders before settling in for the read.  
  
  
\\\\\  
  


Delphine jumped at the vibration of her cell phone emanating from somewhere below her arms; it continued to buzz itself jarringly on the wooden surface now littered with various papers from the file Delphine had been reading through all day. Shoving aside her notes, then a stack of relevant cases she wanted to read over again, she finally located her phone and her chest felt a dip and flutter at her partner’s name on the screen. It was 4:50pm exactly.  
  
Hesitating for a moment, Delphine slid her thumb across the screen to accept the call.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
“Hey,” Cosima’s voice rippled over the line. She sounded tired. “It’s me.”  
  
“How are you?” Delphine’s concern didn’t go unnoticed.  
  
“I’m...okay,” Cosima went silent and Delphine’s worry increased. “Actually, this is going to sound really pathetic and I’m sorry you’re the person in my life right now who I feel comfortable asking to do this, and honestly even this isn’t _that_ comfortable for me to do--”  
  
“Cosima,” Delphine’s address made her fall silent. “What is it?”  
  
“Do you want to have dinner with me?” Cosima’s voice sounded nervous, like she was scared of another rejection. Before Delphine could respond, her partner continued, “And by have dinner with me I mean get some takeout and come over to my place and eat it with me because I am sort of a hot psychic mess right now, Delphine.” She took a deep, shaky breath, her voice lowered conspiratorily, “I can’t turn it off. I’m hearing _everything_ and I don’t know how long I can handle this sort of...maelstrom of everyone’s thoughts but my own.”   
  
“I’ll be there in a half hour,” Delphine almost ended the call, but added, “Try an ice pack against the base of your skull.”  
  
“Thanks, Doc. I owe you.” 

  
\\\\\

  
She was helping a sick work associate. Delphine almost rolled her eyes at her own ridiculous justifications, the script she kept running over to soothe the butterflies in her stomach. She walked up the steps to Cosima’s apartment, an aromatic plastic bag clutched in her nervous hands.   
  
_3B._  
  
Cosima’s apartment, and Delphine’s knuckles gently tapping on the red door, careful of Cosima’s noise sensitivity.  
  
It was only moments before Cosima tugged back the door, her tired eyes meeting Delphine’s immediately.  
  
“Hi,” She pulled back the door further, a voiceless invite for Delphine, but the blonde was hung up letting her eyes run down her partner, the simple white undershirt and a pair of Bureau sweatpants distracting her normal ability to interact with Cosima, distinctly outside of her normal outfit.   
  
“Bonjour,” Delphine finally murmured, eyes downcast and stepping inside. She focused intensely on clearing her thoughts from her partner’s psychic catch-all. Cosima locked the door behind and moved to her over-stuffed couch, falling back in a heap, hand covering her eyes and rubbing her brow in what was now a familiar posture for Delphine. Medical concern kicking in, she stepped forward to sit beside her partner. “Did you try the ice?”  
  
“...no,” Cosima admitted, sheepishly. She peeked out from under her fingers. “Getting up to answer the door was sort of a big to-do...I’m useless for much more than this,” Cosima gestured to her slump on the couch.  
  
Delphine just nodded silently, rising and moving instinctively to Cosima’s kitchen. She returned a few moments later, a small bag of ice in her palm. “Lift your head,” Delphine instructed, slipping the ice behind Cosima’s neck before drawing her hand away as Cosima leaned back.  
  
“Oh...wow.” Cosima let out a breath, adjusting to the freeze seeping into her skin. Delphine continued studying her face, still medically inclined.  
  
“Have you been drinking enough water?”  
  
“Probably not,” Cosima admitted, finally taking her hand off of her brow. “The whole building won’t shut up, like, you wouldn’t believe the terrible things these terrible people are thinking all of the time…”  
  
“I’m going to get you water,” Delphine excused herself, once again reminded that everything she thought would be privy to her partner. She needed to stay put in her doctor's bedside manner.   
  
She returned again, making Cosima down enough water to please her partner’s assessment of her hydration level. Delphine sat again, this time busying her hands untying the knot twisted at the top of the take-out bag. She pulled forth two soup containers, placing one before Cosima, who quirked an eye open at the savory aroma.   
  
“Oh my god, you got pho,” Cosima lurched forward, grateful and greedy. “I swear, you’re getting better and better at reading this weird mess of wires I’ve got,” Cosima tapped her temple, then eagerly popped the lid from her soup, sipping hungrily before Delphine spared her some embarrassment and offered a spoon.   
  
After Cosima devoured three quarters of her container, Delphine a more modest half, the brunette finally slowed down, pushing her soup forward and falling back on the couch once more. Her head rested easily this time.   
  
“You’re a seriously good doctor, Delphine,” She met her partner’s eyes, relief resting on her features. “And like, probably the most phenomenal partner ever, so...thank you,” She finished sincerely, drifting a little into Delphine’s eyes.  
  
The blonde stared back, her lips almost pulled upward. She nodded. “Has the pain lessened?”  
  
“It’s definitely not mind-splitting anymore, but it’ll be there for a while longer. Probably like, another day...maybe two. I’ve never actually done that...thing before,” Cosima trailed off awkwardly, her thoughts drifting back to what she had done to the malicious spirit they’d been hunting. “You cause a lot of firsts in my life.” Her eyes snapped back to Delphine’s.  
  
“I’m sure you know that’s mutual, Cosima.” The blonde’s eyes glinted and Cosima was eager to chase.

“I’m still kind of amazed he threw me across the room. I knew ghosts could do that sort of thing with objects, but with _human mass_ …” Cosima leaned forward, excitement now pulsing at processing their investigation.   
  
But Delphine was frowning and looking Cosima over. “You may have a concussion, Cosima. I had nearly forgotten…” Delphine worriedly reached forward for Cosima’s head, peering into her eyes. “Do you have any other symptoms? Injuries?”  
  
“I’m _fine_. It’s the usual bullshit going on in my head. My back is worse off than anything in regards to body to wall impact…”  
  
“May I see?” Delphine questioned, hesitant. She already had stopped her hands from automatically moving to the hem of Cosima’s shirt.  
  
“Oh, uh...sure,” Cosima responded, slightly nervous herself. “I think it’s only a little bruise-y…” She dropped her hands to the edge of her shirt, turning her back to her partner and easing the white fabric up slowly. Delphine was certainly blushing as she realized her partner was _only_ wearing the thin shirt. But her own feelings were quickly erased as Cosima revealed a sprawling black and blue map down the rungs of her ribs and across half of her back.  
  
“ _Cosima_ ,” Delphine hushed, her hands immediately rushing to barely skate over her partner’s mottled skin. As thin, gentle fingers touched against warm flesh, Cosima drew her breath in, hissing.  
  
“You have very cold hands, Doctor,” Her teeth were gritted now, her body tensing in response.  
  
“I’m sorry!” Delphine drew back in a snap, eyes still worrying over Cosima’s injury. But that image was replaced as Cosima spun around to face her, grabbing the blonde’s hands in her own.  
  
“It’s okay,” Cosima was actually smiling now, her hands had begun to rub over Delphine’s, squeezing the blonde’s icy fingertips now. “Just gotta warm ‘em up next time.”  
  
And then the innuendo was too strong and their bodies too close. Cosima was simply holding Delphine’s hands now, their eyes falling into a familiar swirl. Delphine felt her heart in her chest, felt like leaning in. She feared her own mind.  
  
“Can you hear my thoughts right now?” Her voice was low, almost a-tremble.   
  
“Do you want me to?” Cosima spoke back softly, her eyes glancing to Delphine’s lips.   
  
“I don’t know,” Delphine sounded scared, her voice barely above a hush.  
  
Cosima nodded, her hands carefully releasing her partner’s, her eyes breaking the contact. “I promise I won’t listen unless you want me to,” She glanced back up, her eyes still warm to the blonde’s. Delphine blinked, unsure whether that was the answer she was hoping to hear.   
  
“I…” Delphine hesitated, ready and running from honesty at the same time. “I brought a case. We could look over it together?” Cosima raised an eyebrow, a surprised “oh” falling over her lips. “If you feel okay to read? I don’t mean to push you…” Delphine backpedaled.   
  
“No, no, let’s take a look,” Cosima leaned forward, always willing to peer into a new file.   
  
“I’ve already done some preliminary research. From your work,” Delphine added, politely. She pulled from her bag the file she brought, pared down to the most relevant findings.  
  
Cosima placed it in her lap, flipping two pages before letting out an acknowledgement. “ _Oh-ho_. Another Doctor Frankenstein, huh?” Her fangs poked out a little in glee.

  
\\\\\

  
“Wait,” Cosima sat up suddenly, files scattered across her knees to Delphine’s along the couch. They had been working together for most of an hour. “Body parts were stolen from the morgue at the local station? _Here_?”   
  
“Mhm, oui,” Delphine’s eyes were still reading a document of her own.  
  
“I sort of know one of the attendants who works there…”  
  
“You do?” Delphine lifted her gaze now, questioning.   
  
“Well, my friend and dealer was sort of sleeping with one of them…” Cosima trailed off, reaching for her cell phone and scrolling through her contacts. “I’ll just tell him to come over and we can ask him about it.” Cosima’s fingers were tapping out a text already.  
  
“Cosima, I cannot witness any sort of drug transaction take place, just so you know…”  
  
“Don’t worry, _Delphine_ ,” Cosima finished her message and put down her phone. “We’ll go in my bedroom when I get my weed, sheesh.” 

  
\\\\\

  
A three part knock, ended with a flourishing note, resounded from the front of Cosima’s apartment. The brunette jumped up, pulling open the door for a man who marched in with privilege and comfort.   
  
“ _Hello_ , my little weed monkey,” He spun around pulling Cosima into an embrace, stepping back with his hands still on her shoulders. “Oh my, you’re in one of your migraine hell holes aren’t you? I can tell just looking,” His eyes ran over her face and outfit, his head offering a minute shake.  
  
“Thanks, _Felix_ ,” Cosima rolled her eyes, shutting the door.  
  
“ _Oh_ ,” Felix froze, finally noticing Delphine’s meek form on the couch. “I didn’t know you had _company_ , Cos.” He flashed a smile at the blonde, hand on hip.  
  
“Felix, this is Doctor Delphine Cormier. Delphine, Felix,” Cosima waved a hand between the two. Felix raised an eyebrow as he blatantly assessed Delphine before turning back to whisper to Cosima.  
  
“Is she a new fling?” He was grinning in approval. “She’s very put together. Is this like a roleplay thing? Because you are sorely underdressed, dear.”  
  
“This is my partner. From _work_ ,” Cosima widened her eyes suggestively at him, and he looked a bit surprised in return.  
  
“Oh. Oh! Well, how lovely to meet you Dr. Delphine. You don’t happen to have patients in need of ‘alternative medicines,’ do you?” He began to smirk charmingly.  
  
“No.” Cosima and Delphine echoed the decision together.  
  
“Okay, okay,” Felix put his hands up. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of this little gathering?” He threw himself into Cosima’s armchair, lanky legs dangling casually over the side. His eyes lit up as he pulled a bag of twizzlers from the cushion, already gnawing one between his teeth. Cosima rubbed her neck sheepishly, seeing a hint of a smile on Delphine’s lips.  
  
“Um, actually, I wanted to ask you about morgue guy?”  
  
Felix looked to Cosima. “Morgue guy? Oh, Colin?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, the weird one…”  
  
“He was a little freaky, wasn’t he?” Felix’s eyes drifted off, grin turning a bit more smarmy.   
  
“Like build a monster out of human parts freaky?” Cosima volleyed.  
  
“Come _on_ , you can’t be serious?” Felix’s mouth hung open, twizzler dangling.  
  
“Well, somebody is building a rag-tag monster quilted out of pieces from Colin’s morgue.” Cosima resumed her place beside Delphine on the couch. “So...what if you two went and paid him a visit?”  
  
“What?” Felix and Delphine resounded simultaneously this time.   
  
“I am in no shape to leave my apartment. And Delphine, I know you’re fascinated by this case, and Felix, I know you owe me a favor.” She was grinning at her friend, his eyes already rolled back in his head.   
  
“Cosima…” Delphine gently touched her partner’s wrist, apprehension in her eyes.  
  
“You can trust him,” Cosima reflected honesty back, and Delphine felt her mind being brushed with private assurances from the psychic. The blonde noticed her desire to stay close beside her partner bubbling up and determined with a sharp nod that she should take the opportunity to slip out before she felt herself slipping up and leaning in for unethical kisses. 

  
\\\\\

  
“I can’t believe this is bloody happening,” Felix huffed, walking in step with Delphine as they wound down hallways to the morgue. “No offense,” He hurried, Delphine shrugging back, not bothered.  
  
“It’s not exactly...standard protocol for someone’s partner to substitute their drug dealer for their own presence on a case…” Delphine’s tongue was a touch sharp, before she smoothed over. “But, I’m sure Niehaus trusts you for this. And...I’ve learned to have faith in her.”  
  
“Oh my god, you actually call her Niehaus? Doesn’t that last name rubbish get _old_? You were sitting with her in her pajamas, and she’s still Niehaus?”  
  
Delphine frowned. “It’s a necessary professional habit…”  
  
“Mhm, Doctor, I believe we’re here,” Felix placed his hand flat against a swinging door, hip cocked as he barged over Delphine’s explanation.

  
Delphine almost rolled her eyes at him, settling on another nod instead as they pushed into the cold room.  
  
It was empty and silent.  
  
“Hello?” Delphine called out, glancing about before checking the small office attached.  
  
“Well, he’s not here, so I’m probably not much use--”  
  
“Let me have a look around.” Delphine interrupted Felix from his quick get away. He watched as the agent began a thorough sweep of the room, pulling out and peering at autopsy tables, opening refrigerators holding still corpses. Felix looked away as soon as Delphine began exposing bodies, his stomach giving a twirl.   
  
“What exactly are you looking for, might I ask?”  
  
“ _Merde_.” Delphine’s serious hush made him look out from under his hand.   
  
He was thankful she wasn’t standing over a corpse, instead she was at Colin’s desk, gaping into an open drawer. Felix inched closer, raising his eyebrows to peek inside. He saw nothing but plain manilla folders. But Delphine was reaching inside, delicately plucking a post-it tucked in the back. He leaned in tight this time, head nearly knocking Delphine’s as they read the note over together, the handwriting tiny and scratchy.  
  
 ~~ _Head_~~  
 ~~ _Heart_~~  
 ~~ _Right foot_~~

 

\\\\\

 

  
“Do you know where he lives?” Delphine’s trench blew behind her from the speed with which she was walking. Felix followed swiftly beside her, a touch paler in complexion.   
  
“Yeah...yeah, I was there once…”  
  
Delphine threw her car keys at him, Felix barely reacting in time to catch them before they clattered against his chest and to the ground. “You drive. I need to talk to Niehaus on the way.”  
  
Felix sighed, but climbed in the driver’s seat and turned the engine over. Delphine’s hands were already flying over her cell phone. Cosima picked up after the second ring.  
  
“Hey, find any monsters?” Her voice was warm.  
  
“Yes, actually.” Delphine’s was a bit cooler. She couldn’t ignore the gnawing feeling that she desperately needed her partner with her, someone who knew how to cover her if the moment necessitated such training. “How are you feeling? Felix is driving us to the attendant’s home, but if you are feeling any improved, maybe you could…”  
  
The was a slight pause from Cosima’s end. “God, I’m being a totally irresponsible partner again, aren’t I?” The brunette sighed across the line. “I should be with you.”  
  
Delphine felt relief surge through her chest. “We can pick you up?”

“I’ll be waiting downstairs.”

 

\\\\\

 

  
Cosima slipped in the back seat of the car, Delphine immediately turning and running concerned eyes over her partner. _I’m fine_. Delphine nodded self-consciously, twisting back around to watch Felix’s navigation.

“So...you found a monster body or what?” Cosima ventured, before Delphine passed back the tiny piece of paper from the morgue.  
  
“Wish list, more like it,” Felix chimed in.  
  


“Oh, grocery shopping at work. Fun.” Cosima deadpanned.  
  
“Wait, he doesn’t _eat_ the bloody bodies, does he?” Felix turned even more ashen than Cosima thought possible.  
  
“Jesus, I hope not,” Cosima’s eyes widened. “Bad metaphor, my fault.” Her hand was rubbing wearily at her brow again, and Cosima could hear the worry from Delphine’s mind without even looking up. It was sweet, really, but it didn’t help the ache bouncing around behind Cosima’s eyes.  
  
Soon Cosima was looking up again as Felix slowed to a stop and put the car in park. “That one,” he gestured to an entirely average looking home. “It always sort of freaked me out that he lived in a house that looked that normal.”  
  
“Are you sure you wanna come, Fe? You’re really not obligated in any way, you can wait in the car…” Cosima offered her friend an out.

With a dramatic drop of his head backwards, he rolled his neck to meet Cosima’s eyes. “You know my curiosity is even greater than the cat’s.” And suddenly they were both sharing the same sharky grin, and Delphine watched on as she realized their appeal to one another.   
  
So the trio marched up the trimmed and bordered sidewalk, straight to the front door, Delphine’s knock resounding through the wood.  
  
To be met with no answer. The blonde frowned, turning slightly to her companions, who wore matching expressions.  
  
“Well…” Felix dragged out the word.  
  
“We might as well take a look around,” Cosima finished, already lurking off around the perimeter of the house. She approached one of the windows, her height falling just below the frame. Reaching, she stretched onto the tips of her toes, desperate to peer inside. Delphine and Felix sauntered up behind her, easily gazing into the darkened window.  
  
“Nothing,” Delphine supplied for her partner, eyes gentle and still concerned for the brunette’s well-being.   
  
Cosima murmured an acknowledgement before moving on, this time rounding a corner of the house. Again, Felix and Delphine trailed, their lankier bodies almost tripping over Cosima who they found shoving herself behind a bush, close to the ground.  
  
“Cos, what the--” Felix raised an eyebrow before he was cut-off by his friend.  
  
“My, my, what a basement laboratory Colin has…” Her glasses were touching the pane of the small window, breath foggy and obscuring her view with every exhale. Felix skillfully shoved himself beside the woman on the ground, Delphine left awkward and looming above the pair.   
  
“Oi, do you see that table? With something moving on it?” Felix audibly swallowed.   
  
Cosima’s eyes flashed before she was prying at the edge of the window, the rusty frame giving a squeak as her efforts slowly budged the glass upwards.   
  
“So like, you two can just break and enter at your fancy?” Felix glanced between the partners.  
  
Delphine’s eyes widened before she finally leaned down, touching Cosima’s determined shoulder. “Niehaus--”  
  
“I can totally fit. And I’m just gonna look around, then we can call the squad down. No biggie,” Cosima brushed aside legality and continued her tugging until the window was as wide as it would go. She shrugged off her trenchcoat, making her form less bulky. Glancing down at her body and then back at the tiny square she had to get through, she proceeded to unclasp her holster from her waist as well.  
  
“ _Cosima_ ,” This time the hand was more insistent on her shoulder, Delphine’s worry swelling too much to ignore. They locked eyes for a moment of silent communication, Felix flicking between the two, curious. “Let us through the front once you’re inside. You’re not going in alone _and_ unarmed.”  
  
Felix was surprised at Cosima’s obedience to her partner, the brunette quickly nodding in compliance. He was even more surprised at the lingering touch from Delphine’s hand and the swirl of desire he saw passing across Cosima’s face. The left side of his mouth twitched uncontrollably upward.  
  
And then Cosima was shimmying her body inside, her small form just barely squeezing within the dimensions of the basement window. Delphine watched on until they saw Cosima restrain from peeking at the autopsy table, beelining for the staircase up to the rest of the house. Satisfied, Delphine rose, followed by Felix, as they marched to the front of the home.  
  
Felix slunk along beside the blonde, his tongue twitching with inappropriate questions. They stopped at the front door, waiting for their access. He ran his eyes up and down Delphine again, trying to reassess his initial read. “So…” His lips smacked a little as he let the question hang. Delphine waited, expectant eyes directed to the man. “You and Cos…” Her eyes diverted, nearly answering the question for Felix without trying. “You seem to make a good team,” He eased her obvious stiffening a little before going in for the truth.   
  
“Oui,” Delphine nodded, curtly.  
  
“You know, she needs someone like you. A little grounding for all her witchiness. A little science to her...magic,” His hand waved fluidly. “Even though you come off uptight, I can tell you actually believe,” His eyes flashed as Delphine’s finally met his again. “You should feel lucky though, you don’t know how many times I’ve heard her go off about whatever partner they’ve tried to stick her with over the years…” And Delphine then realized the extent of Felix’s relationship with her partner, he wasn’t just some _dealer_. “She’s definitely never let any of them know about her nifty ability to read minds, let alone have telepathic conversations with any of them.” Delphine blushed a little, she didn’t realized how obvious she and Cosima had been. “She barely even lets _me_ in her freaky head,” He sounded a little jealous, but his smirk was already coming back strong. “And I’ve never seen her invite _anyone_ over for a pajama party.”  
  
Delphine’s cheeks were distinctly pink, but the heavy door was being pulled open to reveal Cosima. She looked back and forth between the two outside, impatient. “C’mon, what are you too yammering about out here?”   
  
“Just talking about our favorite FBI agent is all,” Felix twirled around and past Cosima, patting the top of her head patronizingly as he moved inside. She rolled her eyes at her friend before directing her attention to the nervous looking blonde.  
  
“He wasn’t being too annoying, was he?” Cosima tried to meet her partner’s eyes, but Delphine was still averting to the ground.  
  
“Non, it’s fine,” She finally looked up, offering Cosima’s holster and weapon back. Cosima took them slowly from her partner’s hands, fingers brushing for a moment, before she slipped back into the belt. Before Cosima could stare any more deeply into her partner’s eyes, the blonde was moving past her into the home, hand running through blonde curls.

  
\\\\\

  
“Ok…”  
  
The three stood in the basement, huddled around the autopsy table, which distinctly held the body of someone...or thing. Cosima’s hand hesitated near the sheet, hovering and not yet grasping.  
  
“Here goes…” She paused another moment before tearing the cloth back with a quick flip.   
  
There it was, discolored and mismatched. Differently aging flesh patched together, limbs starting and ending abruptly across suture lines. Felix quickly looked away, hand over mouth. Cosima and Delphine gazed on with morbid fascination.  
  
Delphine suddenly clutched Cosima’s wrist. “It’s breathing,” She hushed, almost exclusively for Cosima’s ears.   
  
“Holy watershed…” Cosima reached forward, scientific curiosity winning over as her hand went to the poorly defined wrist of the creature before them. She needed to check for a pulse.  
  
And just when her index and middle finger touched lightly against the clammy but _living_ skin, its eyes tore open, hungry and gazing at the two partners. Delphine’s hands instinctively went to Cosima’s waist, tugging her back from the reach of the monster. Its mouth gaped and closed, like a fish out of water. Behind its eyes was a terror, confusion.  
  


Cosima leaned back against the front of Delphine, feeling both of their hearts pounding with the scare. One of Delphine’s hands rested on her partner’s right hip, protectively. “It doesn’t even know why it’s alive…” Cosima’s voice was saddened, empathetic for the monster.  
  
Delphine frowned, eyes running along the creature, brain turning medical at exactly _how_ this was possible. “It has a beating heart…” She stared at the thin, throbbing skin on its chest.  
  
“You need a heart to be capable of love,” A sheepish voice rang out behind the trio, from the stairwell.   
  
They all spun, finding a coated Colin slowly descending the staircase. His eyes widened at the sight of Felix, embarrassment rolling off of his shoulders. “I wasn’t expecting you, Felix…”  
  
“Oh, my poor spooky Colin…” Felix sighed, sorry for his once lover.   
  
The morgue attendant reached the bottom of the stairs and moved beside the two agents to gaze at his creation. “It is impressive though, right?” His eyes flicked back and forth between Cosima and Delphine.   
  
“That’s one way to put it…” Cosima’s attention went back to the monster, who still seemed to be struggling. “It doesn’t really seem fair to it, though, does it?”  
  
Colin sighed, his own gaze trailing over the monster. “No...you’re right.” He laid a tender hand against the monster’s chest. “I can tell you how I did it before you arrest me, though.” He raised an eyebrow as the two agents exchanged a weighted eye conversation.  
  
“Oui,” Delphine finally tore away from Cosima’s gaze. “Start at the beginning.” Cosima took a step back to stand beside Felix as Delphine and Colin began discussing the details of the monster before them.  
  
Felix put an arm around Cosima’s shoulders, slumping into his smaller friend. “There’s just something sexy about the science types, isn’t there?” He sighed, eyes still moving over Colin’s body, trying to ignore the criminal offenses racking up against the man.  
  
“There really is,” Cosima’s voice was soft, her eyes tracing even softer blonde curls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you all are too kind, thanks for hanging around for this thing and enjoying it.


	7. silver

Cosima absently swirled her half-full cup of lukewarm coffee as she frowned a little at the map she had pulled up on her computer monitor. Her head tilted to the side as she leaned closer, studying the topography on screen with a squint. Her sixth sense began prickling and she tore her eyes up quickly to Delphine, caught off-guard and still completely mid-stare.   
  
“What?” Cosima blinked, refocusing her eyes to more clearly see her partner’s expression.  
  
Delphine looked down at her own file quickly, cheeks coloring as she cleared her throat. “Nothing,” She waved her hand, looking up to meet Cosima’s still questioning gaze. “Just...you can zoom in on the map with the computer. You already wear glasses, no need to be _so_ close…” Delphine trailed off, unsure whether Cosima would accept her excuse for the blatant fawning over her mannerisms. Her heart needn’t tumble in such a way just because the other woman looked adorable when concentrating.   
  
But Cosima’s mouth cracked into a grin. “And that’s why you’re the doctor.” She smiled fondly at the blonde again, their eyes brushing easily against each other. Cosima wouldn’t deny that things had been different since the moment they shared in her apartment. Delphine had been cautious, and Cosima was aware of the tentative wall in the blonde’s mind that wavered whenever they met eyes. So she respected the attempted boundary, waiting until Delphine signaled approval for anything...more.   
  
And yet these moments kept happening, the blonde’s gaze lingering far too long, weighted silences, heavy looks…  
  
Following Delphine’s advice, she clicked the small plus symbol on screen several times, the map growing with detail after each. Her eyes widened with clarity. “ _Oh_ …”  
  
Delphine glanced over again, this time interested in her partner’s findings and not just the angles of her face. She rose an eyebrow, waiting.  
  
“Know anything about extremely conservative and isolated religious communities, Cormier?”  
  
“Mm...like the Amish? Or Mennonite?” Delphine questioned.

“Sort of. And I know we both have a penchant for unexplained animal mutilation...This case has it all.” Cosima tossed a file across the short distance between their desks. Delphine caught it with a disapproving look.  
  
“We’re three feet away from each other. And in chairs that roll…”  
  
“Okay, okay,” Cosima was still smiling at the blonde. “Next time I’ll roll it over to you. Hand delivered.”   
  
Delphine opened the file, fingers passing over the papers inside. “Thank you,” She murmured, eyes scanning. Soon, she turned to the forensic photos of the animal corpses with a grimace. “I was going to suggest these were sacrificially performed, but this mutilation doesn’t really fit with that sort of ritual…” She trailed off, still frowning into the file.  
  
“I know, right?” Cosima’s voice held a suppressed excitement. “It looks like another _animal_ did it. But I don’t think it was your good friend Bigfoot this time.”  
  
Delphine turned to the next photo with a gasp. It was a young woman, no older than 18. Unclothed, her body torn apart in the same way as the animals before.  
  
  
\\\\\  
  
  
“I think I found something,” Cosima spoke up after a few hours of silent research for their new case. “There have been similar attacks in the area, but not in nearly eighteen years.” Cosima stood and put down her findings on Delphine’s desk, leaning over to point out information to her partner. “But there was a human death. Victim around the same age, nineteen year old girl. A local.”  
  
“There are no photos of her body?”  
  
“They only found her blood. Lots of it.” Cosima shuddered a little. “Anyway, I think this other report from a witness is the most illuminating…”  
  
Delphine reached out for the small clipping. _Local farmer claims “giant wolf” responsible for missing livestock_. “You don’t think this is what killed the girls?” Delphine looked up questioningly.  
  
“He describes it as a ‘giant silverback,’ taller than six feet when it stood on its hind legs...This man isn’t saying a wolf is responsible, he’s saying a _werewolf_ is responsible.”

  
\\\\\

  
The two agents stood outside of a large metal door, located inside of a rundown looking building covered in graffiti. This was a “necessary stop,” according to Cosima, before they could begin their drive north into Pennsylvania. Cosima banged noisily on the sheet metal, the sound reverberating intrusively.  
  
“Where are we again?” Delphine spoke quietly to her partner, still in the dark.   
  
“Some friends. We need special supplies for this case, trust me.” Cosima was entirely convinced, Delphine still wavered.   
  
After a few more beats, the sound of a padlock being clicked open and a chain clinking echoed before the door slid open a few inches.  
  
“Cosima!” The woman squealed happily, her initial apprehension and scowl replaced with loving joy. She pushed the door open more and pulled the agent into a warm and familial hug. “I should have known you were going to show up today,” The woman smiled at Cosima, hands still squeezing her shoulders. Her eyes shot over to Delphine, who stood still and tall behind her partner. “Who’s this?” Cosima’s friend’s tone got icy, her eyes narrowing in distrust.  
  
“This is my partner,” Cosima stepped aside so Delphine could sidle forward. Cosima noticed the bulging eyes as hands tightened on her arm. “Um, from work. Agent Delphine Cormier. Delphine, this is my very good friend Alison.”   
  
Alison was already shoving her hand forward, ponytail swinging with momentum as she clutched the blonde’s hand meaningfully. “Lovely to meet you, Delphine.”  
  
“You as well,” Delphine tried to take the insistent and crushing grip in stride, but Alison still clung to her hand.   
  
“Ali,” Cosima warned knowingly, reaching out to pry her fingers off of Delphine’s pale flesh. “You can trust her, I promise.” Alison’s eyes were still narrowed as she looked Delphine over. “She’s _knows_ about me,” Cosima furthered, hoping to ease her friend’s apprehension.  
  
That got Alison’s attention and her eyes quickly snapped to Cosima with worry. “Oh, Cosima! Don’t say such things in the hallway. Come inside now, the both of you.”  
  
Delphine supposed that was as much of an approval as she was going to receive from the woman for now, and she slunk forward, Cosima giving her shoulder a squeeze and a reassuring half-smile as she passed. Once they were both inside, Alison began resecuring the lock and chain Delphine heard removed earlier. Before she could even glance around the space, a harsh voice echoed across the room to them.  
  
“Oi! Cos! Who the hell did you bring with you?” The woman strode over forcefully. She wore a more deep-set frown than Alison.   
  
“Relax, Sarah! This is my partner from work, Delphine. She’s trustworthy, believe me.” Cosima stepped protectively in front of Delphine, clearly more worried about Sarah’s disapproval.   
  
Sarah grunted, stopping a few feet away and cocking a hip out as she ran her eyes over the blonde. “Stick a needle in your eye trustworthy? ‘Cause you know that pact still stands…”  
  
“Yes, yeah! I will stick a million needles in my eye for Delphine,” She glanced embarrassedly at the blonde, realising the implication of her words. “She knows I can read minds,” She stumbled on, attention back on Sarah. “She’s even, um, read mine.”  
  
“ _What_?” Alison balked, turning back to the conversation from her safety detail. “She’s intuitive too, then?” The brunette looked at Delphine with new fascination.  
  
“Only with Cosima,” Delphine finally spoke for herself.   
  
“Hmm…” Alison hummed to herself, thinking.  
  
Sarah waited a few more beats, posture still tense, before she sighed, throwing herself down onto the sofa. “Alright then, she can stay.”  
  
“Jeez, guys, way to make a girl feel welcome,” Cosima huffed, relieved to have passed their scrutiny.   
  
Sarah grinned, patting the spot beside herself. “C’mon geek monkey, I have missed you more than a bit.” Cosima returned the wattage, moving over and taking the offered spot. Delphine hesitated, Cosima quickly reaching out _Come here_. Delphine obliged, taking the empty spot beside her partner on the couch.  
  
Alison cut straight to business, however. “So, not that I’m _not_ happy to see you, Cosima, but what can I help you with today? Another stainless steel stake? Vampires on the rise again? Oh, you know, I just got this fabulous new crossbow that I think could really work for you,” Alison’s weapon enthusiasm bubbled over.  
  
“Actually, this time I just need the ammo, not the weapon,” Cosima riddled.   
  
“Ammunition? Is the FBI funding really gone to complete shite now?” Sarah joked, nudging the agent a little too roughly.  
  
“This is a specialty request, but I have a feeling if anyone has it, it’s Alison.” Cosima’s teeth were poking out again, and Alison’s eyes were gleaming with the utmost of anticipation. “I need silver bullets.”  
  
“Oh, Cosima, you’re going after werewolves? Really?” Alison looked a tad disapproving.   
  
“Do you have them or not?” Cosima challenged.  
  
“...you know I do,” Alison retorted with a self-satisfied smirk.  
  
  
\\\\\

  
“And if you run out, just call me, we can drive up and bring you some more rounds. And if things get out of hand, you know we’d both do anything for you,” Alison protectively lingered in her parting hug with Cosima. She dropped her voice, glancing back at an already distracted Sarah, “And I know Sarah wasn’t happy about all of those welts, but seriously, that whole mutant wasp incident wasn’t _that_ bad--”  
  
“Thanks Ali,” Cosima cut off her friend, “You’ll be the first I’ll call.”  
  
“Good. Ok. Please look out for each other,” She glanced over to Delphine knowingly, the blonde tilting her head in solemn affirmation. “Drive safe.”   
  
They had been in the car for nearly forty-five minutes, Cosima silently thrumming fingers on the wheel while Delphine sat with her thoughts, all of which revolved around her partner and the two friends she had been introduced to. She wanted to inquire further, but felt intrusively as it was clear that Cosima didn’t often bring others along for her visits to the women. She cleared her throat, “Your friends really look out for you.” She knew it wasn’t the smoothest segue, but her curiosity won over.   
  
Cosima’s mouth naturally turned up, “Yeah.” The word hung as Cosima got far-off looking. She soon glanced back over to her partner, a quick reassessment of some kind, before she continued. “We all really care about each other...I’ve known them since before I even entered the Academy.” Another pause. “They...have abilities, too. Like mine.” This made Delphine’s eyes widen slightly, her interest in the duo peaking more. “I mean, they’re not _exactly_ like mine. Don’t worry, they weren’t picking your head while we sat in there. Alison gets what she calls premonitions. Her reads can be choppy and usually rely on physical contact as a trigger. Sarah calls hers visions. Mostly dreams, always future related,” Cosima summed up, her eyes gauging Delphine again.   
  
“And how do you describe what you do?” Delphine was tentative but the curiosity dripped from her.  
  
Cosima almost grinned. “I can break into people’s brains. A head hacker.” Her eyes were gentle when they met Delphine’s, though. “Sarah and Allison and I met each other in psychics anonymous, basically. An odd little group I found right after college...there was this tiny, inconspicuous flyer hanging in this witchy shop I used to go to for books when I first started really getting a handle on all of this,” Cosima gestured to her head. “There were five of us. One was a cop. And it turns out when you get five intuitives in a room and one has access to crime reports and criminal records, you kind of naturally want to start solving cases.”  
  
“You were secretly helping the police?” Delphine hadn’t taken her eyes off of Cosima.  
  
“We solved that serial case in Minnesota…It’s what led me to the Bureau in the first place. Beth really encouraged me…” The brunette’s eyes shifted, she swallowed thickly into silence.  
  
Delphine noticed the weight surrounding them. Without stopping herself, despite her body’s knee-jerk denial of physical contact, Delphine gently placed her hand on her partner’s knee. “Who’s Beth?”  
  
“She was the cop. Abducted shortly after I got accepted into the Academy.”   
  
And Delphine suddenly felt everything falling into place with a soft clink, her mind piecing together why Cosima Niehaus became “Nutty Niehaus” in a grief laden commitment to solving her friend’s disappearance. “Did you find anything? About what happened to her?” Her voice was softened and her accent sharpened with the emotion.  
  
“Delphine, I know you still don’t totally believe me about everything...but she was abducted by extraterrestrials. This was not a human committed crime. I know what happened to Beth, I just don’t know where they took her. But I’m pretty sure their motive is related to our shared special talents.”  
  
Delphine’s hand still rested on Cosima and she turned more fully towards her partner. “You think she was abducted by aliens because she was intuitive? Like you.” Her mind was processing, turning a touch fearful at the thought of losing Cosima. “They haven’t...have you ever been…?” Delphine traced her features.  
  
“Abducted? No, they haven’t come for me...yet,” A cynical smirk passed briefly. “But our fifth member, Helena...she’s been taken. And she came back.”  
  
Delphine lurched yet again with disbelief. “Unharmed?”  
  
“I don’t know about ‘unharmed’...she came back with an Ukrainian accent. And definitely wasn’t the same person. She was still intuitive, but she could barely control it anymore. She could never stop talking about gods in the sky and clones after a month long disappearance. We’ve tried to help her as much as we can, but she’s...off the grid now. I think she has a trailer in the woods somewhere not too far. She finds me, Sarah or Allison when she needs us, but other than that...I wouldn’t be surprised if she wore tin foil hats most days,” Cosima ended, a soft grimace gracing her features.   
  


“I’m sorry for your losses,” Delphine’s hand squeezed Cosima’s knee gently, reassuringly.

Cosima’s right hand dropped from the steering wheel to cover Delphine’s, a soft squeeze back before she easily and naturally laced her fingers between the blonde’s. She glanced over to Delphine, whose gaze still lingered on their locked hands.  
  
“Is this ok?” Cosima asked quietly, immediately met with a firm nod from her partner, their hand holding uninterrupted for the next portion of their drive.

**  
  
**

\\\\\

**  
  
**

The rental pulled up to the general store, the first and only they hit after cruising into the small town, the sedan stirring a swirl of dirt in its trail. Cosima carefully released her grip on Delphine’s hand, her gaze uncharacteristically absent as Delphine waited for it. With a small inhale, Cosima opened her door and stood up before peeking back in at her partner. The blonde remained seated, uneasiness bumbling about in her stomach at Cosima’s behavior, Cosima’s _touch_...

“I uh, figured we could ask inside about this ‘farm’ and its members…” Her eyes were twitchy, nervous. Delphine hadn’t seen them this unsteady and unavailable.   
  


“Oui.” Curt, and withdrawing just as quickly as Cosima. Delphine opened her door, striding forward without another glance at her anxious accompaniment.  
  
Cosima followed after, the store door soon tinkling as a bell clanged to announce their entrance. The attendant at the counter was already staring at them, had clearly been watching since their unfamiliar car rolled up to the pump. Delphine was unphased by the ogling, gliding with purpose to his post.   
  
“Federal Agents Cormier and Niehaus,” He badge was flipped open and closed with authority. “We’re following an investigation and have a few questions. Do you know the group of people living on the communal religious farm in this area?”   
  
The man who continued to slowly chew his cheek full of dip, smacked his lips open slowly. “You mean the Proletheans? Sure thing, you don’t live in a town this small without knowin’ all the families in it.”   
  


“They’re family? All of them are related?” Delphine’s mind was already filtering through the knowledge she and Cosima had uncovered, namely the ‘family’s’ ability to continue procreating.  
  
“Seems it.”  
  
“And how long have they lived here?”  
  
“Well, I was born and raised here and I remember Hank’s father ruling the clan even stricter than he does now. We barely saw them when I was growin’ up. Now at least the boys come down into town to get a few supplies once a week.”  
  
“You mean Henrik Johanssen? He is the patriarch then?” Delphine still helmed the questioning, Cosima quiet, eyes trained and glossy on the man behind the counter.  
  
“Sure, sure, he only goes by Hank these days. Hated that named his Daddy gave him.” The man sucked at the back of his teeth and spat into the styrofoam cup clutched in his hand.

“Could you tell us exactly where their property begins?” Delphine stepped forward, grabbing a map off of the small rack on the counter, allowing the man to point out a spot that she quickly marked. Before she could thank the man for his time, Cosima stepped forward.  
  
“You’ve heard about the livestock that’s being attacked, I’m sure?”  
  
“Hell, one of ‘em was my own cow,” The man nodded.   
  
“You think an animal did it?” Cosima furthered.  
  
“I never seen no man sick enough to do _that_ to a cow. I don’t even know what he coulda _used_ to do that. Whatever got her had to have been hungry as _hell_.”   
  
“Do you think the same animal killed Lindsey Riker?”  
  
The man stopped his chewing, a gulp moving down his gullet. “I reckon if it was hungry enough.”  
  
“Thank you for your time,” Cosima finished quietly, Delphine offering a “thank you” as well before both agents turned and exited the store.

“Was he truthful?” Delphine asked after they were seated back in the rental.   
  
Cosima hummed, still staring at the small store. “He told his truths, but he’s very nervous about imagining what really happened to Lindsey Riker.”

 

  
\\\\\

 

It was only another fifteen minutes of driving before they edged up to the location marked on Delphine’s map. Cosima slowed the vehicle, easing it off to the side of the road. “I want to scout a little before we go all in,” She was already pulling a pair of binoculars from the backseat and climbing out of the car.  
  
“Always prepared,” Delphine mumbled to herself, exiting the vehicle and trailing after her partner. They walked up to the small wooden fence, their eyes following its perimeter crawling at least a kilometer in either direction.   
  
Cosima lifted the binoculars to her face, promptly pulling away with a frown. “I can’t see the homestead from here. I need a hill.” Her eyes ran along the fence to the right. “I’ll try over there. You wanna scope the opposite direction?” She finally met Delphine’s eyes since their handholding.  
  
Delphine noted a hint of apology in Cosima’s gaze but with a fast nod, she turned on her heel and began trudging through the tall grass away from her partner. She knew Cosima stayed out of her head out of respect, but sometimes she wished the brunette would just get it over with so they could stop playing this timid game of affection.

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima sighed to herself, eyes lingering on Delphine’s retreating back far too long. She knew holding hands had been a terrible idea, but resisting the magnetic tug towards the blonde was wearing thin, even with her resolve.  
  
After another huff, she finally turned and began walking in her chosen direction. She soon reached the small rise in earth that she had been aiming for, and as she mounted the top she again raised the binoculars to her eyes. _Finally_. Two main buildings and third barn-like structure came into focus with a twist. Cosima remained steady on what seemed to be the living quarters, noticing moving shadows passing some of the windows.   
  
Soon, the large wooden front door swung open, two young men emerging clad in conservative clothing, buttoned to the neck. They walked together to the barn, moving inside and once again out of sight. Cosima sighed again, beginning to lower her binoculars.  
  
“May I help you?” His deep and forceful voice made her eyes immediately refocus on his looming form just on the other side of the fence.  
  
“Oh,” She was glad she hadn’t jumped with the startle. “I’m Agent Niehaus with the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” As she flashed her ID, her eyes ran over his stiff stature, the bolo tie resting over his pressed long-sleeved shirt. “Hank Johannsen?” Her eyes gleamed as they locked with his.  
  
“That’s me,” He shifted his weight forward, “Does the FBI always lurk around like criminals instead of being direct in their investigations?”   
  
“I’d say it’s more of a spy characteristic, not innately criminal behavior, to canvas a point of interest,” Her eyes still flashed, this time with an unusual frustration at the walls her reaching powers kept hitting. He was smoke screening her.

“Agent Niehaus, is there a question you have for me? I think it’s an _American_ characteristic to feel threatened by those trespassing on their property.” His eyes were steely and unmoving.  
  
“I’m still behind the fence. Not trespassing,” She was irritated now. “Have any of your livestock been injured during the recent attacks happening around town?”  
  
“No. We keep our animals practically under lock and key.” His cockiness hinted at his awareness of her attempts to get into his mind.   
  
“Does your religion practice animal sacrifice, Mr. Johannsen?” She felt her anger beginning to brew at this challenge.   
  
“If you’re suggesting I’ve been the one killing the town’s animals, I’m disappointed in this government’s use of its time and resources--”  
  
“Does your religion practice _human_ sacrifice?” Cosima’s gaze was penetrating now. Her question worked, his barriers wavered, and she began to pry into...  
  
But he shook his head, jaw clenched, defenses coming back strong. “You need to leave now. This is harassment. I will be calling the sheriff to let him know of your behavior and treatment of an innocent citizen…”  
  
“It was a simple question. But don’t worry, you can think about it all night. I’ll be back tomorrow, with the sheriff.” Her brooding eyes lingered a moment longer on him before she spun around, marching back in the direction Delphine had started to wander.  
  


///

**  
  
**

Delphine had been following the fence now for at least a hundred meters, the rows of planks beginning to curve now around the edge of the property. She looked ahead, a shady tree with spilling branches sat up ahead, falling partially over the fence. She continued nearing it before she noticed the figure, a horse grazing a few feet away. She quieted her step, moving closer.  
  
He was a young man, no older than 18. His hair was meticulously combed to the side in a small wave, his collar pressed and crisp. Delphine was only a few yards away before he noticed her presence. He jumped, shuffling nearer to his horse.  
  
“Bonjour,” Delphine called out, putting on her least threatening air. He hesitated at hearing her voice.  
  
“H-hello.” He still looked like he might run.  
  
“My name is Agent Cormier,” At his blank stare, she continued. “I work for the government,” Her words seemed to ease him neither way. “What’s your name?”  
  
“Mark Rollins.” He spoke simply, his eyes hadn’t left Delphine’s face, he seemed in wonder at her appearance.

“You’re not related to Hank Johannsen?” Her brow furrowed.  
  
“He’s my father. He adopted me and my brothers when we were babies. He helped my mother, she was a poor wretch.” His voice was calm, still entranced with staring at Delphine. He stepped closer towards the fence and Delphine standing just behind it. “Do you have a Christian name, miss?”  
  
“Um,” Delphine hesitated, confused. But his earnest gaze made her move a step closer. “My first name is Delphine.”   
  
“Delphine,” He repeated, letting the word roll off of his tongue. “I’ve never heard anyone speak like you before, you have a beautiful voice…” His eyes were intense, and Delphine found herself trying to pinpoint something behind them…  
  
“Mark, did you know Lindsey Riker?”   
  
His eyes turned fearful at the name, the adoring glaze wiped clean. He looked like he was going to bolt. “I’m not allowed to talk about her.” He began to shuffle back towards his mare.  
  
“Wait, wait!” Delphine took the remaining steps up to the fence, hands resting on the top beam. “Who told you not to speak of her?”   
  
“I can’t...Hank could see us out here…” He threw a nervous glance over his shoulder, scanning the horizon. “You need to come back later. When it’s dark. Come back tonight...we could see each other then. I could see you again…” He began moving back closer to the fence, closing the few remaining feet from Delphine. The moony gaze was back on his face, and suddenly Delphine felt a heady sensation rushing over her as he began to reach a hand towards hers…  
  
“Cormier!” The sharp voice tore her swiftly back to reality, her head snapping to Cosima who stood frowning, several feet away. Before Delphine could even open her mouth to explain, Mark had spun around, running back to his horse and mounting in one fluid motion, hooves thundering off against grass.

Cosima was right beside her now, a scowl still sitting on her countenance. “Who was that? He looked like he wanted to _eat_ your face…” Her jaw clenched and unclenched, her eyes still boring into the back of the retreating man.  
  
Delphine’s voice finally came back to her. “Mark Rollins. Johannsen’s adopted son.”

Cosima’s eyes snapped back to her partner, examining the woman for a moment. “I don’t trust him.”  
  
“Well, he might be the only way we learn anything about Hank Johannsen and the Proletheans. I asked him about Lindsey Riker, he said Hank told him not to speak of her.”   
  
“Yeah, Hank doesn’t want anyone talking to anyone who’s not a Prolethean and/or a creepy Christian cowboy…” Cosima grumbled, scanning back towards the house.   
  
“You saw him?”  
  
“He saw me first. And then kicked me off of his property until I came back with the sheriff,” Cosima huffed, turning back to meet Delphine’s concerned gaze. “And...I can’t read him. He blocked me. In a way I’ve never felt before.” She rubbed at the back of her head, frown back in place as she pondered. “I need to regroup myself. Maybe call Allison…”  
  
Delphine nodded, following her partner back to the car.

  
\\\\\

  
Cosima pulled the rental into a spot in front of the dinky motel they were staying in, killing the engine with another sigh. She dropped her head forward into her hands, massaging at her temples.   
  
Delphine hesitated before speaking, eyes running over Cosima. “...Mark wants me to meet him at the farm tonight.”  
  
“ _What_?” Cosima’s head shot up, eyes bigger than her glasses. “No. I mean...no.” Delphine hadn’t seen quite a reaction like this from her before.   
  
“Cosima…”  
  
“ _Delphine_. Seriously? That guy is weird. The way he was looking at you...it was _not_ okay. He’s bad news. And Hank is even _worse_ news, and you want to go over there in the dark to meet that creepy, pasty kid?” Cosima was getting worked up, hands flying about for emphasis and the anxiety that was spilling off of her.  
  
“ _Cosima_.” Delphine grabbed both hands, forcefully tugging them into stillness over the center console. “I know it’s not ideal, but...when have I ever said no to you? Unconventional approaches have been our method since we started working together…” Delphine’s thumb at some point had begun soothingly brushing the back of Cosima’s hand.   
  
The brunette’s chest still rose and fell at an exasperated rate, but she met Delphine’s eyes knowingly. “Okay,” She sighed, her head falling forward. “But _both_ of our clips are loaded with silver bullets tonight.

  
\\\\\

  
They parked a little further away than they had during the day, killing the headlights before they neared too close to the property. Cosima sat, words heavy in her mouth as she stared at her partner, unable to voice her exact emotion. Delphine met the concern, feeling the unspoken weight surrounding her. Why did it feel like this was it. Cosima wasn’t making a move, but neither was Delphine. The blonde felt a nervousness trickle into her chest that they wouldn’t get another chance.   
  
“Be careful.” It was the only phrase Cosima could manage, worry ringing darkened eyeliner.   
  
“You too.” Delphine swallowed. They refused to touch each other.  
  
This was it.  
  
Delphine shoved her door open, closing it with a soft click, her weight resting against the metal for a few moments.  
  
That was it, and nothing happened.  
  
She started toward the fence.   
  
Nothing would happen.

Cosima’s jaw was already clenched, her resolve facing the storm of several feelings. She could not think of Delphine like that, because Delphine didn’t think of her like that. _And just because she can read your mind doesn’t mean anything other than you’re a sap who let her in because_ you’re _in lo_ \--

She threw open the driver’s side door, trotting to catch up with Delphine’s form. As they neared the fence, Delphine turned left, directing herself towards the tree. Cosima halted. “Do you smell smoke?” She hissed to her partner.   
  
Delphine turned, sniffing the wind. There was something burning, close.   
  
“Look,” Cosima pointed, the tips of flickering flames barely seen over the incline she had hiked earlier in the day. “I think we should see what’s going on before your little rendezvous…” And she was already off in that direction, Delphine throwing a quickly glance in the opposite before beginning to follow Cosima.   
  


But a pale hand appeared out of nowhere, clutching her wrist over the fence. Mark’s face was barely illuminated by the moon. Before Delphine could speak, he was tugging her along, “We must hurry,” his tone reverential.

\\\\\

  
She could see the large bonfire clearly now, a lone figure moving between a pile on the ground and the fire, tossing in some mass of fuel after each trip back and forth. A large brimmed hat rested on his head, despite the darkened sky. She glanced over her shoulder to speak to Delphine, only to be met with more darkness. “ _Fuck_ ,” she hushed to herself. “Cormier!” She tried to keep her voice low, but her panic was edging in. “ _Delphine_!” Her words rang out unanswered. She turned back to the figure and the fire, making a split decision and quickly hopping the fence, taking off in a run towards the flames.  
  
“Destroying some evidence?” She barked out harshly, making the man freeze in his tracks.  
  
Hank Johannsen spun around slowly, dropping the mutilated goat carcass at his feet. Blood covered his white shirt. His lips pulled up into a terrible grin. “Agent Niehaus, I thought I told you I didn’t like trespassers?”   
  
Cosima pulled out her handgun smoothly, training it on the man’s chest. “Yeah well, the FBI doesn’t really _like_ murderers, either.” She was grinding her teeth.   
  
“You think I did this?” He swept his hand over the mess.  
  
“Do you prefer to go by the Big Bad Wolf?” Cosima saw the flash of recognition in his eyes, felt victorious for a small moment.  
  
Until Hank’s short harsh laughter rang out. “Oh honey, trust me, I am fully one of God’s sheep. I’m trying to lead this flock in the right direction…”  
  
“And your son, Mark, is divulging to my partner exactly how godly you were to Lindsey Riker as we speak,” She spat at the man, gun still hovering.   
  
But he was grinning again. “Now you wanna talk about the _real_ wolf in sheep’s clothing…I hope your partner isn’t a pretty young thing, because those are his favorite. But I know I can tame that beast eventually, God’s work is a test, it always will be…”  
  
Cosima was already tearing off, the soles of her boots slipping with her speed.

  
\\\\\

  
Mark had led them back to the tree, Delphine assumed it was his safe-space on the farm, away from Hank. He held her hand as she climbed over the fence and he still hadn’t let go as they stood in the shadows of the branches. Delphine swallowed, made uncomfortable by his grip, but ready to get the account she needed for the case.  
  
“Mark, can you tell me about Lindsey Riker? What happened to her?”  
  
His eyes shone brightly in the darkness. “She was so nice. But she wasn’t anything like you. You are _truly_ beautiful, Delphine.” His grip tightened on her hand, tugging her closer.  
  
She immediately stiffened, stepping back with resistance. “You need to let me go, Mark,” She directed forcefully.  
  
“Please don’t go,” He entreated, desperate.  
  
“I won’t go, but you need to let _me_ go,” With a sharp tug, Delphine freed her hand from his grasp. “Tell me what happened, tell me about your father, Hank…”  
  
“No, not Hank,” Mark’s voice got stern, growling. “He’ll lock me up if he’s knows I’m out here with you. He hates when I bring girls on the farm.”  
  
“You brought Lindsey to the farm?” Delphine’s mind was beginning to spin, her heart thundering.   
  
“She was pretty, like you.” He was moving in on her again. Reaching out, “You both smelled so good…” And his grip was back on her wrist like a vice.   
  
Delphine quickly moved her right hand towards her holster but his other hand was faster, securing both of hers in his grasp now. He leaned his head toward her ear, fangs beginning to poke over his lip, “You’ll taste as good as you look, I just know it.”

The ringing was resounding in Delphine’s ears simultaneously as the red spray of blood splashed on her coat and colored Mark’s cheek. His face instantly contorted horrifyingly, a screaming howl tearing through the air even louder than the gunshot seconds before. His grip loosened and Delphine shoved herself backwards, tumbling to the ground and scurrying away from the thrashing man who had fallen now, too.

Delphine felt like she couldn’t get far enough away when suddenly a strong grip on her bicep helped pull her to her feet. Cosima was worriedly looking into her eyes, hand still cradling the blonde’s arm, but Delphine was already falling into her partner, face buried in Cosima’s neck as shaky breaths puffed against her skin. She didn’t want to see anymore, and Cosima heard her clearly, pulling her tighter into the embrace, a protective hand resting against Delphine’s curls.   
  
  


\\\\\

  
  
Several hours had passed now, the red and blue flashing of squad cars still strobed the farmside. Hank was in custody and the scene was being documented, Mark’s body on the ground. Cosima hadn’t left Delphine’s side through the questioning and statements, and they were finally permitted to leave the gory mess behind. They strode down the road, close enough that their shoulders brushed with every step.   
  
They climbed inside their rental car, taking a moment to sit in silence with each other after the frenzy of the night. Cosima reached out, a thumb barely brushing over the bruising that had since appeared on Delphine’s wrists. “I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner,” Her voice was quiet.  
  
“You got there soon enough,” Delphine flipped her hand, trapping her partner’s in her grasp. “Thank you. And you were right, I should have listened to you…”   
  
Cosima shook her head, interrupting. She squeezed Delphine’s hand. “Do you want to go back to the motel?”  
  
“Can...can you drive us back home? I really want to sleep in my own bed tonight,” Delphine requested hesitantly, before continuing, “I know it’s a long drive, but I’ll stay up with you. Keep you awake.” A small smile fell over her face.  
  
Cosima returned the grin. “Big gulps and terrible coffee all night?”

“Candy and doughnuts, too.” The smile only got warmer on Delphine.   
  
Cosima tugged her hand free from Delphine’s only to shift the car into drive. As soon as they were moving steadily forward, she slipped her fingers between the blonde’s again, resting the weight of her hand in Delphine’s lap.

**  
  
**

\\\\\

**  
  
**

After the several hours of driving, Cosima finally pulled the car curbside in front of Delphine’s building. She put it in park and stretched her shoulders wearily.   
  
Delphine glanced out the window, relief washing over at seeing her home, not the inside of a motel room in the town where she was almost devoured by a werewolf. She looked back down at her tender wrists, discoloring coming on strong. She ran one of her fingers over the marking.  
  
Cosima had been watching and touched her shoulder. “You okay?”  
  
Delphine nodded, unable to meet the brunette’s eyes, instead leaning forward into another hug, her head back in the crook of Cosima’s neck. “Thank you, again,” She mumbled, her lips accidentally brushing skin and sending Cosima’s pulse racing.  
  
The brunette swallowed. “Delphine, I’m always gonna do anything to keep you safe.”  
  
At this, the blonde pulled back, finally letting herself fall into Cosima’s eyes, the sugary and warm feeling washing over her from the inside out. She brought her hand to Cosima’s cheek, a thumb brushing over soft skin. “I don’t think it was by chance I got assigned to you. I think I was supposed to meet you, Cosima,” Her breath hushed against her partner’s lips. This was the longest amount of time she had been this close to Cosima’s face…

It was supposed to happen. Cosima was waiting for _her_ to make it happen. And Delphine realized no one in her life had ever wanted her to make it happen.  
  
With a suddenness almost startling, she gripped the back of Cosima’s neck and pulled her into an eager and searching kiss. Delphine felt the surprise register, but then the brunette quickly returned the kiss, her hands clutching at Delphine’s coat and pulling her closer. Cosima wanted to pant with the energy and desire sent electric into the air around them. She wanted to pull Delphine onto her lap. She wanted Delphine.   
  
Delphine ran her tongue over Cosima’s bottom lip, causing a soft moan from the brunette that made Delphine pull back, heavy breaths spinning. “Stay the night with me?” Delphine’s request was breathy and hot, barely contained in a question.   
  
Cosima nodded without pause, her eyes darkened in a way Delphine had yet to experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was for all of you.


	8. mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, i sort of fell off the planet but i guess season 5 brought me back. i can't thank everyone enough for the continual sweet, sweet feedback and support for this little fic that's been neglected and dusty, but i hope to wrap this thing up over the next while and give it a proper ending.

Delphine felt her eyes flutter concurrently with the teeth dragging over the pale skin of her neck. Warm breath and a cold nose pressing behind her ear, hands resting on her hips; the blonde could barely focus on the key ring clumsily spinning between her fingers. She leaned back into her partner momentarily before recentering her attention on getting her front door unlocked. Cosima’s desire was palpable around them in the hallway, making Delphine heady and buoyant, giddy from the brushes of want and lust that washed into her thoughts. She wondered if Cosima was even conscious of the waves.  
  
Finally, the key clicked into place under her fingers, she twisted and then fell forward into her apartment. She expected the radiating energy to follow, kisses still delivered to her skin, but the lack of movement made her spin around in question. Cosima hovered just on the other side of the threshold, arms bracing themselves in the doorway.

The former wanting was being overridden by anxiety and Delphine watched several emotions pass behind her glasses. Before Delphine could speak, Cosima asked first, “Are you sure?” Her eyes were flitting but finally locked on Delphine’s for a response.  
  
The blonde moved back to the doorway, pausing. She searched Cosima’s face again. “I want to be with you,” She reached out, fingers grabbing Cosima’s, their hands now held across the dividing line of inside/outside. “I want you.” Her voice grew hush with the seriousness of her words. And with a small, final tug from her partner’s hand, Cosima let her body cross into Delphine’s home.  
  
The taller woman draped her arms over Cosima’s shoulders, shutting her door with an absent-minded kick, as she leaned back in. She kissed the corner of Cosima’s mouth, then her cheek, before nuzzling closer to her ear to whisper, “I want you in my bed. Now.”  
  
And then the previous energy was back and buzzing around them, Cosima’s eyes cavernous and hungry as she became all hands and disrobing.

  
\\\\\

  
Delphine could barely keep her eyes open, the mounting pressure riding low in her hips as Cosima’s pressure and speed matched her desire and need…  
  
“Wait,” Delphine panted, her eyes parting themselves back open to find Cosima’s own, close and concerned. Her fingers were still inside Delphine, and the blonde’s hips fought their urge to keep rolling.  
  
“Are you ok?” The empathy in Cosima’s words brushed against Delphine comfortingly, her hand pulling back the moment after Delphine’s request. The blonde quickly grabbed Cosima’s wrist, keeping her fingers in place.  
  
“Are you...reading my thoughts?” Delphine questioned her partner, suddenly shy at the thought of Cosima filing through her brain for what she liked.  
  
Cosima let out a nervous chuckle, her smile splitting, instantly making Delphine’s chest swell with the desire for a sloppy, hungry kiss. Her free hand went to the back of Cosima’s neck, resisting the urge to pull her in. Cosima’s cheeks reddened as she glanced away, bashfully. “I mean, uh, I guess technically? But I swear, I’m not even trying,” She shyly met Delphine’s eyes again, still smiling. “You’re kind of screaming in my head.”

  
And then Delphine couldn’t resist, her hand was bringing Cosima’s mouth crashing into her own, teeth knocking together in the blonde’s hasty desire, emboldened by the realization that she was with someone who she could tell what she wanted without even trying.

Her hips rolled higher to meet Cosima’s thrusts, her frenetic pace increasing with her pounding need, silent communications of _more_ being met immediately. She opened her legs wider, drawing Cosima in deeper as she drew closer to a precipice. Moaning loudly in appreciation, she met Cosima’s dark eyes. This gaze was different, and Delphine felt her chest blooming with a mass of emotion she was in far too much ecstasy to decipher, especially with Cosima’s relentless stroking coming in broader motions, sliding up and over her clit after every thrust.  
  
Delphine’s body was humming, her pleasure vocalising melodic. She met Cosima’s eyes again, which held nothing but warmth and sweetness, sweat slick between them. Delphine drew her partner closer, the erratic jump of her hips signalling the crash that happened in moments, a loud and breathy moan of release. Cosima stayed pressed against her body, pulsing. Delphine found herself pulling her partner in, nuzzling the brunette’s face against her neck, not wanting this feeling to stop.

 

\\\\\

 

“So...how does this work?” They sat at Delphine’s small kitchen table, bare knees brushing under the table as Delphine tried to ignore the intimacy of coffee and the morning after. “I mean, how do you want it to work?” Cosima corrected her initial question.  
  
“I don’t know,” Delphine sighed, a hand running through her curls, tugging. “It’s entirely unprofessional--”  
  
“ _Delphine,_ ” Cosima’s hand on her wrist easily halted the beginning of her shame spiral. “Forget professionalism for a second. You’ve seen bigfoot and saved me from a vampire, remember?” Delphine might have laughed if not for the anxiety she felt about blurring the distinction between work and romance.  
  
“There would be...endless paperwork, and hearings, and possible reassignment…”  
  
“Hey,” Cosima touched her shoulder this time, once again drawing her eyes. “Like I said, this doesn’t have to involve our careers.”  
  
“But if we were to be a couple…”  
  
“We don’t have to be a _couple_ ,” Cosima interrupted, desperately trying to assuage the doctor’s fears. “It’s not like we’re getting married, work doesn’t _need_ to know. We’re still partners on the clock. Off the clock...why does it matter what we do naked in a bed together?”

Delphine hesitated. A purely sexual relationship? “We would be...partners with benefits?” The blonde tried to joke, easing some of the tension she had created earlier. She earned a smile from Cosima.  
  
“We both know our job makes it sort of hard to have serious relationships...or maybe I just don’t like to take responsibility for that aspect of myself…” Cosima trailed off, hesitantly.  
  
“I have not had much luck either,” Delphine admitted, meeting her partner’s gaze honestly.  
  
“I’m gonna be really truthful with you, Delphine,” Cosima turned serious, leaning in towards the blonde. “I want to sleep with you like, a hundred times more than some random vampire.” Her teeth were already out in the now familiar grin.  
  
Delphine shook her head, nudging her partner with her knees. But she surprised herself as she automatically leaned forward to press a chaste kiss against Cosima’s lips before standing up and moving to put clothes on. She felt Cosima’s gaze lingering after her, and she wondered how long it would be before her mind starting sharing thoughts that were meant to be secret.

  
///  
 

They rode to work together, both slightly awkward at the unfolding routine, the togetherness. They didn’t touch until they both stepped into the elevator, when Cosima let her hand barely brush against the back of Delphine’s, shoulders similarly squared.  
  
They sat opposite each other, the atmosphere a little more relaxed now, though Cosima felt herself physically having to resist from gazing over at her partner in a haze. Delphine’s cheeks colored periodically, mostly from her thoughts revisiting last night’s events. She tried to regulate the giddy bubbling in her stomach, the oddly juvenile feeling of sitting across from your deskmate whose hand you want to hold.  
  
The jarring ringing of the phone atop Delphine’s desk tore them both from their dreaminess. Delphine’s workline never rang.  
 

/// 

 

Her face was blank now, she had been struggling with her composure the whole time, but she couldn’t control the wideness of her eyes. The swirling drain inside of her body, like someone had just pulled the plug and the last of her intestines would be sucked from their home. Her heart thudded desperately.  
  
The Director had already explained the new _permanent_ mark on her file, had already expressed his disappointment in her “complicity with fantasy and encouragement of fatal actions in the field.” Had already made the threats against her career and accomplishments clear, and was currently attempting to reinstill her cooperation.  
  
“...this is not _your fault_ , Agent Cormier. We understand you felt threatened, but all of this behavior is so unlike your past performance for the Bureau. We need that agent back, we need you _by the book_. Agent Niehaus will receive a demerit for her actions, for a fatal shot with a non-Bureau issued bullet. She killed a farmboy, Agent Cormier. The father is distraught, the community is outraged, and the press is going to town.” He leaned back, cracking his knuckles. “But it’s your job to fix this. This is why we assigned you to monitor Niehaus. The Bureau has faith and _I_ have endless confidence in your ability to control any future incidents. Those are your orders, Agent Cormier.”

   
///

  
Delphine was silent when she returned, automatic movement to her desk and compulsory screen staring, vacant. She wasn’t even present enough to feel Cosima’s burning stare. Finally she tuned in to the distant echoing.  
  
“Delphine. Delphine? _Cormier_ ?”  
  
Her eyes flicked up to Cosima’s knit brow and concern.  
  
“What the hell happened up there? What did they say to you?”  
  
She waited, eyes turned down now. “I’ve been flagged for on-going review. My reports will be under close scrutiny, I will meet with the Director and board after every case.” Her words were hollowed of emotion.  
  
“Because I shot a murderer? They’re investigating you?” Cosima looked incredulously at her partner. “God, they’re such fuckers…”  
  
“You didn’t need to use non-issued ammunition, Cosima.” Her tone finally had an edge to it, and Cosima physically balked at the condemnation of her actions.  
  
“He was turning fangy and hairy, I think you can agree that it was a special situation even if you don’t believe in silver bullets,” Cosima’s leg was beginning to bounce, this wasn’t the direction she expected. “And all of that aside, he was about to _attack_ you. How are they questioning that? How are you _okay_ with them questioning your experience?”  
  
“We don’t know what would have happened for certain...You could have neutralized the threat with our issued weapons. He might not be dead now.” Delphine had refused to make eye contact through the exchange thus far.  
  
“He killed at least one seventeen year old girl! And he was going for you next, I don’t understand what they said to you up there…” Cosima was running her hand over her forehead, her frown remained in place. She looked to her partner, the blonde still unresponsive. “Delphine?” Nothing. “Why won’t you look at me?” There was desperation entering her voice now.  
  
Delphine swallowed, vision still locked on the wood grain of her desk. “They think you’re heavily influencing my thoughts and actions. My behavior is unlike my documented past working the field.”  
  
“They think I’m brainwashing you?” Her voice raised a few degrees, still it did not gain Delphine’s attention. Cosima swallowed before asking her next question, “Do you think that too?”  
  
The silence answered her.  
  
“That’s why you won’t look at me anymore.” Cosima sunk back in her seat, face falling further.  
  
Delphine shifted uncomfortably. “You’ve admitted your capabilities of persuasion...of influencing others’ thoughts…”  
  
“Do you feel like I’ve coerced you?” Her voice was getting smaller now, hurt seeping.  
  
Several moments of heavy silence hung between them. “I don’t know.” More moments, neither were counting. “You said you break into people’s heads…”  
  
“Not _you_. I would never.” Cosima’s words cut short, throat cracking. More silence. “You don’t trust me anymore, then?” Delphine’s lips turned downward but she still didn’t look up or speak. “Are we partners even, or did they reassign you?”  
  
“We are still working together...we just need to establish new boundaries in order for me to continue performing the task requested of me. I must do my job, Cosima. This is my _career_ , my life. Last night was an indiscretion…”  
  
Cosima was swallowing with difficulty now, her gaze steady but beginning to well despite her attempted suppression. The hard lines of her glasses and eyeliner clashed with the pooling that clung to her eyes, desperate for reabsorption by their sender. “I thought I could trust you. I let you in.” The blonde was caught by the vulnerability that quavered on the ends of Cosima’s words, and she finally met her partner’s aching eyes. Upon the contact, Cosima sharpened some steel within, her teeth ground down, jaw straining. She stood abruptly, pulling her long, black coat on in a desperate attempt for reassurance. Her eyes had shoved the tenderness aside, only biting now. “Next time you need a sex toy after a difficult case, don’t come looking for me.” She didn’t look back to the stung blonde who stared after her departing form.


	9. mutations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the very warm welcome back <3

Delphine didn’t process the next three and a half weeks. Didn’t log the complete refusal to communicate, the denial that hung across the room, the crackling tension whenever she and her partner were in the same small office. Cosima acted as if she were invisible. No, as if she was a small stain on the wall that she absolutely hated, so much so that she pretended her neck couldn’t even turn in that direction. The blonde didn’t process this because she couldn’t. Not until now, glass of red in hand, the Friday night after her last day of prescribed desk work. She could resume field work now. Well, _they_ could. If Cosima ever chose to speak to her again.

 

Delphine sipped further and slunk lower on her couch, eyes falling shut. She knew she should have apologized sooner. Within the first week. But all she could focus on was her fear, the constant pressure looming from her superiors, the intimidation to perform by the book. And then it was halfway through week two of no talking and no eye contact, and she felt defeated and cast out by both her partner and the Bureau.

 

Delphine scoffed at herself when she realized this was Cosima’s constant state of existence. Believed by no one, yet kept at hand because she had a value to the government. She was suddenly struck by her awful behavior; while she was dealing with paperwork, Cosima was dealing with an internal investigation and trial because of Mark Rollins’ death. Delphine hadn’t even tried to reach out. With a decisive swallow of the last of her glass, she picked up her cell phone.

 

It rang to no answer. She waited for the tone. “I’m sorry. I hope you’re okay.”

 

She put the phone down on the table, trading it for the wine bottle.

 

\\\\\

 

Cosima inhaled all the more deeply as she let her eyes glaze over the buzzing device beside her. She handed the joint to Felix, ignoring his quirked eyebrow. He rolled his eyes at her dismissal, and pushed forward as he was apt to do. “Have you spoken to her at _all_?”

 

“No.”

 

“Listen, I’m not making excuses for her or saying what she did was okay in any way, but she had intense _psychic_ sex with you for the first time and then goes to work and _immediately_ gets called to the boss’s office for a scolding for being too close to you...I think she might have just panicked, Cos.”

 

“She panicked, and firmly decided to not trust _me_.” Cosima took the joint back, huffing greedily.

 

“In those first twenty minutes, she wavered, yeah. But have you given her a chance to decide otherwise?”

 

“These sound like a lot of excuses for her, Felix.” Cosima’s jaw set straight with a clench, not acceding to her friend.

 

“Cosima,” he scooted closer. “As my number one customer, and more importantly, as my friend,” he rested his hand on her shoulder this time. “I saw the way she looked at you and talked to you, and I don’t think she erased those feelings because an older white man hit her across the knuckles with a figurative ruler. But also, I don’t have to be a psychic to know that she wants to talk to you.” He looked pointedly at her dejected cell phone.

 

Cosima slumped under his hand, losing her defensiveness. Her friend saw the sadness and vulnerability revealed. “I let her meet Sarah and Alison. And told her about Beth.”

 

He hummed in understanding, before his eyes widened. “I _hope_ you haven’t mentioned any of this recent work drama to Sarah?”

 

“Jesus, no! I don’t want Delphine dead, I just feel...hurt. And like I lost this thing that finally felt _right_ , for once.” She spun the butt of the joint between her fingers.

  
Felix leaned back with a nod, pulling out another joint and lighting it. “Just remember, she’s not lost unless you want her to be.”

 

\\\\\

 

The weekend felt excruciatingly long for Delphine. Her time was mainly spent pacing her apartment, her guilt growing along with the feeling she could now name. An absence. She hadn’t realized how much space Cosima had begun to take up in her life, and without her presence she felt distinctly empty. She had called twice more, Saturday and Sunday night, still to no answer.

 

So it was to her shock that at 9:55 am on Monday, after sitting in her office chair for almost two full hours, the elevator doors opened and Cosima walked in and actually _looked_ at her. Not just in her direction, but _at_ her. Her lips parted, readying yet another apology, but Cosima spoke first.

 

“Morning.”

 

Delphine examined her face, her energy. She was lackluster, but the distinct ripples of anger from the previous weeks were gone. Delphine noted a guarded tenderness to her eyes, which met Delphine’s but for the briefest moment. “Good morning,” Delphine’s tone was gentle, recognizing the caution both were taking.

 

Cosima strode to her desk, taking off her coat and settling down with a small sigh. She could feel the blonde’s eyes still running over her ceaselessly. She tried to stare at her desk, her computer, tried to busy herself in some semblance of normalcy. But then it was more than staring, there was a soft tugging, tendrils tentatively asking for permission to know her feelings. Her eyes shot up to meet Delphine’s and the blonde winced, blinking and shaking her head minutely. “I’m sorry,” She hushed.

  
  
Cosima softened her eyes. Delphine hadn’t been intentionally trying to pry, she could see the concern on the other woman’s face. She exhaled. “It’s okay. I’m okay,” She let the sentence hang, Delphine still desperately running her eyes over her partner’s face. “They didn’t suspend me. ‘Justifiable defense of a fellow agent.’” The blonde’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

 

“I’m sorry...for everything.” Delphine tried again, lip in her mouth, worrying.

 

Cosima shrugged, looking away again. “We’re still partners. That hasn’t changed.”

 

Delphine nodded, accepting this as all she would get for now, or the next while. She still ached to gaze into the depths of her partner’s eyes like before, but tried to push the unwelcome desire away. So without words, she stood and placed their next case on Cosima’s desk.

 

\\\\\

 

 _Why_ _does this assignment have to_ actually _be as remote as possible?_ They had been on planes for over ten hours and now they were shoved into a helicopter, the blonde pressed against her partner, seemingly to both of their discomfort. But Delphine knew why they had been given the case; it was clearly for her to address as lead agent and for Cosima to follow, assist. There was an unidentified highly contagious outbreak in a remote lab in the Alaskan wilderness. Limited and classified details were provided, Delphine hand-picked because of her education in immunology. The last communication with the CDC reported that it was contained, but not eradicated. No one was allowed to leave the site. Once they stepped inside, this applied to Delphine and Cosima as well.

 

The blonde swallowed as the helicopter touched down roughly, a few hundred meters away from the small collection of yurt-like structures. She wanted to reach out, make Cosima meet her eyes just once before they went in. But then Cosima was unstrapping her body and bouncing from the helicopter and away from Delphine. She took a final deep breath before following suit.

 

A man and a woman approached the partners as they neared the first tent; the helicopter pilot had already up and pulled the aircraft away, fleeing as quickly as the blades allowed. He had heard the graveness over the radio.

 

“Dr. Cormier?” The new woman’s eyes were already on Delphine, hand outstretched.

  
  
“Oui,” Delphine nodded, meeting her handshake before inclining her head toward Cosima. “This is my partner, Special Agent Niehaus.” Cosima curtly took the proffered hand.

  
  
“I’m Dr. Henson, this is my assistant and lab tech, Joshua Moore. Thank you both for coming. I know this isn’t standard for either of you, but we _have_ contained it, and your risk here is really quite low at this point.”

  
  
Delphine nodded. “We are used to the unusual. Shall we head straight to the lab?” Dr. Henson motioned them towards the third tent down. Delphine glanced to Cosima, but she still was looking anywhere but her partner.

 

\\\\\

 

Delphine pulled her eyes back from the microscope. She had never seen _any_ thing like this. This was the most rapidly adapting and devastatingly destructive parasite she’d ever even read about. An icy and prickling fear washed over her as Dr. Henson’s face shone with guilt. Delphine began shaking her head. “Dr. Henson…”

 

Cosima was finally paying attention. She had noted Delphine’s shift, the nervousness that now radiated off of the blonde.

 

“I-I know...it looks bad…”

 

“I’ve never seen a parasite that looked _worse_. How exactly have you contained this?” The other doctor swallowed, while her assistant stared at his thumbs. “Dr. Henson?” Delphine’s tone sharpened.

 

“The crew has been quarantined in their sleeping quarters.”

  
  
“Are they being treated in any way? I assume this level of rapid infection doesn’t respond to antibiotics?”

 

“We’ve been systematically trying treatments used for similar parasitic infection, but no, the pace of this particular parasite hasn’t allowed for much progress…” Dr. Henson concentrated on the clipboard she had picked up. “But Dr. Cormier, this is why I specifically asked for your assistance. I’ve read your work before, back when you were still regularly publishing research...I think with the two of us working on a treatment--”

 

“Dr. Henson,” Delphine’s jaw tightened. “How are the currently infected individuals being cared for?”

  
“You don’t understand...it was a feat to get this sample, we must concentrate our efforts _here_ \--”

  
“Those are patients inside that quarantine. It is my duty as a _doctor_ to first assess the well-being and comfort of the patient.”

“It’s not safe.” Dr. Henson was scribbling on the clipboard now.

  
“Excuse me?” Delphine stepped closer, her frustration showing.

 

“It’s not safe for _either_ of us in there. It is the single most contagious parasitic infection I have ever encountered and we both can admit our efforts are better spent on a cure.”

 

“When is the last time you’ve checked on any of the patients?” Delphine’s posture and voice continued to gain defensiveness. Cosima looked between the two doctors, concerned about the increasing levels of agitation she felt building within Delphine.

 

“Three days,” Dr. Henson finally raised her eyes to meet Delphine’s. “Like I said, at this point, we are both better off focusing on a cure. _Both_ of our names will be attached to this, Dr. Cormier. It’s not often two women are given the due credit for the time and effort and dedication we--”

 

“I am not the type of doctor to let people, _other scientists_ , suffer to make a name for myself.” And with a final glare, Delphine spun on her heel and began marching towards the quarantined tent. Dr. Henson’s eyes widened and she glanced at her assistant with a small nod before tearing after Delphine. Cosima followed both doctors, the furrow in her brow only deepening.

 

“Dr. Cormier! You cannot breach the containment!” Dr. Henson huffed to catch up. Delphine held her hands against the small plastic window, peering inside.

 

“I need to determine the well-being of those infected--”

 

“Help us!” A man’s face appeared before Delphine’s, his hands clawing against the plastic barrier. “Please! She’s locked us in!”

  
Delphine stumbled backward, startled, her eyes immediately going to Cosima. Her partner stepped forward finally.

  
“Just exactly what in the hell is going on here, Dr. Henson?” Cosima narrowed her eyes at the woman.

  
“Y-you saw it on the microscope...The infection is real, but the way it articulates in the human body is _un_ real...I didn’t think you’d believe me…”

 

“Why do these people look more like prisoners?” Cosima stepped towards her, intimidatingly.

 

“The parasite! It’s amazingly advanced...it hides itself. It wants you to believe they are healthy...and then you become its next host…” She was staring at the man inside the tent, his furious scrabbling hadn’t relented. “Bloodwork is the only way to determine who’s infected and taking a sample from those who _are_ infected is much too dangerous. This parasite wants nothing more than to survive.” Her face had gone ashen. “They killed another lab tech when we were first attempting to examine them.”

  
“So you quarantined everyone? Essentially guaranteeing contraction for every researcher?” Delphine sharpened her glare.

 

“There wasn’t another choice. You don’t understand, Dr. Cormier. These people need a treatment.”

 

“And you have to be aware that it can take years with a team of leading scientists and doctors and still, there may not be a cure?” Delphine’s distress rolled off in waves and Cosima found herself fully uneasy in their current situation. Stranded with this doctor until they could issue a call for the helicopter…

 

“You haven’t even tried, Dr. Cormier.” Dr. Henson’s eyes refocused with intensity.

 

“Listen, we need more assistance. This may be partially contained, but these are not the proper procedures…” Delphine glanced to Cosima, glad to receive worried but present orbs in response.

 

“Are you going to assist me or not, Dr. Cormier?” Dr. Henson’s stare was unnerving.

 

“I must first report to the CDC--”

 

“Wrong answer.” The two agents spun at the click of a gun. The lab tech stood with a pistol trained on Cosima. “Joshua, please guide Agent Niehaus inside.”  

 

Delphine’s hand jumped for her holstered weapon, but Dr. Henson tsked her tongue. “No, no, Dr. Cormier. You don’t want her shot before she even has a chance, do you?” Delphine’s heart was pounding, her eyes frozen on Cosima’s. “Joshua,” Dr. Henson nodded. The man began unlocking the outer door, the barrel of his gun now held against Cosima’s head to prevent revolt. The lock clicked and with a rough grip on Cosima’s bicep, he shoved the agent into the tent and let the door crash closed again, resealing it.

 

“Cosima!” Delphine lurched forward, her face pressed against the small window, their eyes meeting in terror.

 

\\\\\

 

Cosima held Delphine’s eyes for as long as possible before a grasp on her shoulder made her spin around, hand reaching for her holster.

  
“You have to help us!”

 

His face was far too close, and she stumbled backward defensively, groping for her badge and flipping it open. “FBI. Stay where you are.” She glanced around. There was another woman off to the side of the room, watching intently.

 

“We are not animals! We’re scientists, and we’ve been locked up against our will!” Veins in his throat bulged. Cosima thought she discerned a faint pink ring around his eyes.

 

“I understand that. Dr. Henson mentioned hostility, and one of her lab techs being killed by someone in this tent.” Her hand still rested at her hip, eyes moving endlessly. “Is this the entire research team?”

 

His face twitched. The woman uncontrollably glanced somewhere behind Cosima. “No. We’ve had to quarantine some of our own. They were _actually_ sick. _We_ are just being held against our will, out of fear!” His jaw clenched and he moved towards Cosima again. “You have to get us out of here!”

 

Cosima’s palm slipped to the grip of her gun. “I need you to stay back. And I also need you to realize I’ve been locked in here just like the rest of you.” She glanced over her shoulder, noticing the only other doorway. “What’s back there?”

 

His eyes grew shifty, and it was the woman who stepped forward and spoke. “Those were our sleeping quarters. It’s where we put the sick.”

 

“Show me.” Cosima nodded with her head, making the man move forward before her.

 

\\\\\

 

“Dr. Cormier.”

 

She tried to keep her eyes on Cosima, but her partner had spun away to face the crew inside. Delphine let herself slowly turn to meet the other doctor’s address. “Take me to the lab, then.” She knew she couldn’t accomplish anything out here, with Joshua’s gun trained on her. She started striding back to the temporary laboratory, her mind racing with strategy. She could wait until their guard had slipped a little, until they got caught up in the science…

 

“Your gun first, Dr. Cormier,” Dr. Henson waited with an outstretched palm.

 

The blonde’s chest tightened. She needed to get Cosima out of the quarantine tent before it was too late.

 

\\\\\

 

Cosima made sure the crew was a safe distance from her before cautiously peering through another small, vinyl window.

 

“Do you see them?” The woman, Carol, had a tremor to her voice.

 

“Help me!” Another man surged into sight, pressing his face against the panel. “You have to help me, these monsters locked me inside. _They_ are infected, we were trying to quarantine _them_!”

 

Cosima pulled her weapon from its home now, training it on the crew a few feet away from her. “You guys make this a little confusing…” She trained her eyes on Carol, willing her mind into the other woman’s. There was nothing but panicked racing thoughts...everything that was already visible on the surface. She let herself into the man’s mind next and found similar truths. Her shoulders relaxed a little and she re-holstered her gun. “But at least I’m on the side with the people who are telling the truth.”

 

“You don’t have to just take our word for it…” The man’s eyes were looking behind Cosima, reflecting a disgusted horror.

 

The agent spun around, eyes widening as the human head that was just pleading with her split itself in half before dropping to the floor, out of sight.

 

“Holy watershed,” Cosima hushed, feet automatically moving backwards until she was against the entrance that she had been shoved through against her will. She took a deep breath. She needed to talk to Delphine.

 

CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.

 

“Adam…” Carol’s voice was even shakier as she looked to the other scientist. The banging continued, the non-reinforced doorway shuddering under the pressure. “Adam, it’s getting stronger. It’s going to break through…”

 

The fear started to settle into Cosima’s chest and she peered through the window before closing her eyes and resting her head in the crook of her elbow.

 

\\\\\

 

 _Delphine_.

 

The blonde startled, her head snapping up from the microscope. Dr. Henson’s eyes were trained on her immediately. She looked back down to the slide, miming the act of studying. _Cosima?_ She was tentative, unsure if she had successfully sent something back to her partner. But the sensation of relief that flooded her brain made her realize she had.

 

 _It’s sort of a relief to know this still works even if we’re in a fight_ and _locked away in separate temporary laboratories._

 

It was strange how comforting it was to have Cosima’s presence in her head. _Are we still in a fight?_ Delphine couldn’t help the honest question. She practically felt Cosima’s sigh.

 

_It’s not that I don’t want to talk about us...but it’s more that whatever that parasite has done to these researchers is making them attempt to break out of their quarantine. Violently._

 

Delphine’s pulse quickened. _We don’t have time for a cure, if one even exists, Cosima_.

 

 _Okay...well, Dr. Henson is running on her own timeframe to scientific fame so...convince her you need another sample, someone infected, to get this ‘cure party’ started._ Cosima’s mounting tension was psychically palpable, whatever she was seeing was affecting her more and more.

 

 _I don’t know that I can convince her..._ Delphine’s hesitation was interrupted.

 

_You’re going to have to. I have my gun, just...get them in here somehow._

 

And then the sensation of the telepathic link switched off like a light. Delphine blinked, glancing back up at the Doctor who was staring at her expectantly. She remained bent over the microscope, giving herself time to come up with a crude strategy.

 

Standing back up to her full height and without hesitation, Delphine addressed the woman. “I need a patient to begin. Someone alive.”

 

Dr. Henson huffed. “Did you not understand me earlier? It’s too dangerous. All of us will be at risk if we let _any_ of them out.”

 

“We need just one,” Delphine assured. “We’re armed, they aren’t. We let one person out and secure them, then run the blood test. If they aren’t infected, it improves our numbers of controlling the situation.”

 

Dr. Henson glanced to Joshua, his face in deferment to her decision. She narrowed her eyes at Delphine. “Your partner must stay inside the quarantine at all times. She won’t be one of the ones tested.”

 

“Fine.” Delphine hid her resentment, teeth grinding slightly. “Can we proceed?” She looked questioningly at the other doctor who eventually nodded, gesturing for Joshua to lead the way.

 

///

 

The reverberating crashes against the weakening door tore Cosima from her link with Delphine. She didn’t have time to say more. When she raised her eyes, she found the two scientists had backed up against the furthest wall together. “Okay,” Cosima stepped forward and regained their attention. “We need to hide.”

 

“ _Hide?_ In this single room? From that _thing_?” Adam’s eyes were wild still, bouncing back to the shuddering door, unable to focus solely on Cosima.

 

“Actually, no. From the evil scientist with a gun outside,” Cosima peeked through the small, sole window before ducking back down. “They’re going to come back in, we just need to hide from them while they open the door…” Her eyes scanned the room as she trailed off, settling on the couch in the corner. Stepping over to it, she tugged it backwards towards the entrance. Once it was close enough, she lifted it from the bottom, upending it lengthways beside the doorway. She stepped back with a grunt, only to be met with questioning stares from the two scientists. Cosima rolled her eyes. “Just stand behind that. We’re not playing hide and seek, this is a stopgap. I need us all out of sight for the first few seconds, then one of you make a noise. I’ll take it from there.” Cosima held their stares, waiting for some form of acknowledgement.

 

Finally, Carol stepped forward nodding and pressed her back against the wall, tucked behind the short depth of the couch. Adam followed a few beats later, but not before warily eyeing the straining door one last time. The clanging of the monster had become a deafening alarm in the background. Cosima chanced one more glance out of the tiny viewport on the door, only long enough to see movement, three figures, rapidly approaching. With a deep but hurried sigh, she shouldered a bookshelf, the only other big enough piece of furniture to obscure a person left in the room, to the other side of the entrance. This placed her closest to whatever was going to break through the makeshift quarantine, and from the groaning and swelling of the door, Cosima knew it would be soon.

 

Just as she had slipped out of direct sight, a different banging sounded on the entrance.

 

“Can you hear me in there?” Dr. Henson’s voice strained to be heard above the raucous attempt to escape. “Hello?” She shouted louder.

 

Cosima held her breath, hoping the other scientists had enough mind to remain silent. The doctor banged again. “Listen, we’re letting one of you out. For blood testing. If you are uninfected, you will be allowed to remain outside of the quarantine, but you _must_ cooperate. One. At. A. Time.” Cosima swallowed. Adam and Carol thankfully didn’t respond. She could hear muffled talking outside, a decision being reached.

 

///

 

Delphine waited, fists clenching. Why wasn’t Cosima responding? Was this her plan? Dr. Henson swore in front of her.

 

“Joshua, open the door slowly, gun drawn.”

 

The assistant stepped forward, obeying his orders. As the door slowly swung open, Delphine still saw no movement within. Her pulse was racing, she debated trying to reach out to Cosima with her mind, if that would spoil whatever Cosima had in waiting. Joshua glanced back, Dr. Henson nodding him forward. He edged over the threshold, swinging his gun to follow his line of sight. “They’re not…” He was cut off by a yelp from the left, Carol purposefully stumbling out of her hiding place. His gun trained on her immediately. “Don’t move--”

 

Cosima knew this was her moment: she leapt forward and bodily crashed into the lab assistant. She felt ungraceful and amateur, both of them crumpling into a heap on the floor, but she blamed the lack of time for a more thoughtful plan. She used the few moments of his confusion to scrabble for the gun that had clattered from his grasp, skidding across the floor. But before she could disentangle herself, he was reoriented and clutching at her, trying to pin her to the floor. One of his elbows crashed into her jaw, smarting and slowing her progress.

 

“Dr. Henson!” He frantically called for help, almost getting a grasp on Cosima’s shoulders. But the agent spun around to face him, shoving her forearm up into his throat before delivering a knee to his abdomen. This finally sent him sprawling off of her with a groan.

 

Cosima seized her advantage, again propelling herself forward across the floor towards the fallen firearm. Finally, her fingers closed around the grip of the gun. Before she could turn around to wield the weapon, an icy tone froze her movements.

 

“Drop the gun.”

 

Cosima sighed, before slowly turning her head toward the scientist. Dr. Henson had Delphine’s firearm pressed threateningly into the blonde’s side. Delphine’s eyes were wide and immediately locked with Cosima’s.

 

 _Guess that wasn’t the_ greatest _plan..._ Cosima’s thought held an apologetic tone as it reached Delphine.

 

Delphine gave the slightest shake of her head in response. _Don’t worry. She won’t shoot me, she only wants to control your actions._

 

Cosima sighed out loud, slowly standing up but not releasing the gun. Dr. Henson’s grip tightened on Delphine’s arm, the muzzle of her own weapon digging into her ribs more forcefully. “I _said_ ‘Drop the gun,’” She glared at Cosima’s actions.

 

But now that Cosima was facing them fully, her eyes danced past the hostage scenario to a larger issue unfolding. She quickly re-trained her focus to her partner’s captor. “I think there’s a much bigger problem than me having a gun right now,” she quipped.

 

Before Dr. Henson could open her mouth, the screeching of tearing metal cut through the room. The noise made the doctor spin around, loosening her grip on Delphine enough for the blonde to pull away and begin stumbling backwards, gaze transfixed on the horror now spilling its way through the destroyed door. Dr. Henson stood dumbfounded, the faces of several of her former employees swimming about in a fleshy mass, all gaping at her with varying expressions of agony and hunger. The creature was bulbous and amorphous, its form squishing and expanding as tentacles the color of skin shot outwards on the floor, aiding its movement forward.

 

Cosima tucked away the gun in her hand and stepped forward to stand beside Delphine. The blonde managed a glance in Cosima’s direction, experiencing a small wave of relief at having her partner near and armed. Cosima watched as Adam and Carol wasted no time in tearing out of the yurt through the open door, abandoning the scene behind them.

 

Dr. Henson had finally raised her weapon, but in front of the creature it already seemed ineffective. And then, as if in response to the meager threat, all of the faces of the creature let out a synchronised wailing scream. The abjectness before her caused Dr. Henson to stumble backwards in horror. With a hoarse yell of “Stop!” the doctor fired off three rounds into the monster. The impact of the shots made its screaming intensify, and before anyone could respond, one of the heads ejected itself forward towards Dr. Henson. The woman couldn’t move away fast enough as teeth from a former scientist sank into her shoulder, the other pulpy tentacles reaching forward to coalesce the doctor into its mass.

 

Cosima didn’t need to see any more. She grabbed Delphine’s arm, and with a tug pulled her partner along behind her, quickly beelining to exit the yurt. Delphine’s steps matched Cosima’s urgency, but the blonde couldn’t tear her eyes away from the grotesque process happening before her. But then her feet crunched into the snow outside, and Cosima slammed the door shut and bolted, finally breaking the macabre spell of Delphine’s fixation. The blonde’s eyes returned to her partner’s.

 

Cosima opened and closed her mouth. “I guess I don’t have a rejoinder for this one…”

 

But Delphine cut off her lack of a joke with seriousness. “We need to burn it. Now.”

 

“Burn it?” Cosima’s eyebrows raised. “Like, the whole structure?”

 

“Cosima, we _cannot_ let the parasite survive,” She turned to assess the few other tents of the work site. Her eyes settled on something. “Fuel drums.”

 

///

 

Cosima was slumped over on the steps to one of the temporary labs, her cheek pressed heavily into one hand, exhausted. The fuel drums had been heavy and cumbersome to roll to the barricaded structure, and the act of pouring the fluid meticulously on and around the building had left her completely drained. Delphine was still standing in front of her, hypnotized by the licking flames that continued to eat away the former barracks, black smoke billowing into the sky. There were intermittent screeches from inside, whatever was still alive of the creature failing to retreat from the fire. Cosima wanted to plug her ears to the monstrous noises, but Delphine would have stood directly outside of the burning mass had Cosima not pulled her away to a safe distance. Carol and Adam were holed up inside one of the remaining tents, refusing to unlock themselves until the rescue helicopter Cosima had phoned for had arrived.

 

For once, Cosima just wanted to go home and not think about work. Smoke a joint and not think about parasitic mutations. Not be around Delphine for at least 48 hours. Her indifferent veneer was wavering; it still hurt to be around the woman, to pretend that they were partners who could trust each other. The paranoid part of Cosima even wondered if the whole case had been a test, some scenario crafted by her superiors to observe her and Delphine’s responses. She shouldn’t have used her telepathy with Delphine again, that was a mistake. She kicked herself internally, but had there been another option? She tried to brush away her concern, instead resolving to construct a wall between her mind and Delphine’s.

 

The blonde chose this moment to turn around and sit beside Cosima. Cosima inched away, unwilling to let their arms brush casually. Delphine pretended to ignore the hurt she felt at the action, the dip in her chest. “The site where they originally extracted the parasite is not far from here...it will still need to be investigated…” Delphine trailed off.

 

“Not by me. I am sorely underqualified,” Cosima’s tone was neutral, if not a little flat. Delphine noticed. “I don’t know that anyone, the Bureau or the CDC, would be able to contain... _that_.” Images of the monster swam back into her vision. “They should torch it all, you said it yourself.”

 

Delphine frowned. “You think they should destroy everything? An organism unlike anything else seen on this planet before...the research that could be done…”

 

Cosima realized Delphine was fishing, wanted to hear the extraterrestrial theory that Cosima had already visited many times over the past several hours. Cosima didn’t budge, defenses raising higher still.

 

“They should burn it all to the ground.”

 

Delphine heard the helicopter beating in the distance, but for the moment was much more preoccupied with the severing force she could feel growing between herself and Cosima.


	10. circles

It was the weekend. Cosima hadn’t been into the office Thursday or Friday. Delphine had almost expected her absence; the quarantine, processing, and questioning following their last case had been exhausting for both of them. Delphine was physically present at work for the rest of the week after landing back in town, but technically she only managed to accomplish responding to emails and idly reading a few files relevant to cases the department was supposed to look into. The department meaning her _and_ Cosima, and though she hadn’t been concerned for the past few days, she had a sinking feeling Cosima wouldn’t be there on Monday either.

 

She let her head fall back against her couch. Her weekends this past month were filled with too much wine and regret. Guilt and shame. She couldn’t see a future in which Cosima would trust her again, and what made her even more uncomfortable, she didn’t know that she could see a future in which she disobeyed the Director and followed Cosima’s crazy science instead. Would Cosima’s opinion affect her so much if they weren’t partners anymore? Would she forget about the other woman? But then the memories of Cosima’s caring gaze, the sensation of falling into her partner’s eyes, the feeling of Cosima’s touch came surfacing through Delphine’s doubts, and she felt sickened with herself. Physically nauseated.

 

Delphine groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t rationalize her feelings for Cosima away. They existed, would continue to exist, and Delphine wondered if something would ever happen to make her unstuck.

 

///

 

Well, she was right. It was already noon and Cosima hadn’t traipsed in late, wouldn’t traipse in at all. She picked up her phone yet again, unlocking it and staring at Cosima’s name on her screen. She should call her. She _needed_ to call her. It was the professional thing to do. Delphine almost rolled her eyes at herself, pressing her partner’s name.

 

No answer, no surprise. She dialed two more times. She didn’t leave a message but instead spent the next half hour trying to decide over the wording of a text message. She settled with _Just wanted to check in. If you need to take the rest of the week off, let me know._ There. Baby steps. She didn’t need to report every little misstep Cosima made to their supervisors. She could cover for her, a small act of loyalty.

 

But it soon rolled on to 5pm, Delphine thoroughly distracted by the lack of response for the rest of her work day. She called again when she got home, and sent another text before she fell asleep, a simple _Please, Cosima._

 

Her sleep was restless. She woke up at 4am and wondered if this was anything like what Cosima had experienced after she...broke up with her? It struck Delphine for the first time that the phrasing almost described what had transpired between them. She dumped her relationship with Cosima for her job. She abandoned her partner for the Director’s approval. But it wasn’t so simple. They both could lose their jobs if Cosima continued barreling through her investigations so recklessly, with so little regard for laws and protocol. Delphine was a check and balance not just for the Bureau’s satisfaction, but for Cosima’s own well-being.

 

She gave up trying to fall back asleep. After three cups of coffee and a shower, she headed into the office by 7am.

 

Delphine distracted herself miserably. Only an email from Cosima herself would have been able to hold her attention. She missed her. The thought was there, wouldn’t go away, and the feeling was even stronger. She needed to see her, even if Cosima hated her and barely talked to her, just being in the same room helped. It was already afternoon; she picked up her phone and called Cosima again. This time her desperation kept her on the line until she could leave a message. “Cosima, _please_. I just want to know that you’re okay.” She hung up.

 

She chewed on her lip, wishing she could get ahold of anyone else who knew Cosima personally. Felix, maybe. But she had no last names for any of Cosima’s friends, nothing to search for. But, she definitely had plenty to search _through_. Cosima’s overfilled desk and filing cabinets sat on the other side of the room temptingly. The department’s filing cabinets were certainly not off-limits, but Cosima’s desk? _Inside_ the drawers? Delphine debated where the line of privacy should be drawn.

 

Then she remembered a different sort of access, the kind she was even more certain Cosima had rescinded from her. But wasn’t this an emergency? Could Cosima be considered missing? She pushed away the thought, she knew it could too easily anger Cosima more, push her further away. It was almost 4. She would swing by Cosima’s apartment on her way home.

 

///

 

Of course there was no answer at Cosima’s door, so of course Delphine had opened another bottle of wine and was drinking it with equal parts anxiety and frustration. And the more she drank without intending to stop for dinner, the more she determined to just do it. She would reach out to Cosima. With a final glug for confidence, she sat back into her couch and closed her eyes for concentration.

 

 _Cosima..._ She took a deep breath and waited, very still, for several minutes. _Cosima._ Still no response, no sensation tickling behind her eyes. _Cosima. Cosima! Cosima!_

 

And finally, _Jesus, Cormier! What are you, the telepathic big bad wolf now? Because you’re seriously huffing and puffing at my brain over here._

 

All of Delphine’s tension dropped out of her body. Cosima was okay, was actually just ignoring her. Her frustration bubbled up uncontrollably. _Well, I tried to contact you more conventionally…_

 

 _Yeah. I know. I got your messages._ Cosima’s thoughts didn’t sound concerned at all.

 

 _You weren’t at home, either_ , Delphine pressed.

 

_I know, I know. I’m actually kind of busy…_

 

Delphine could feel Cosima’s connection wavering. _Busy with what? Where are you? Who are you with?_ Delphine couldn’t stifle the thread of jealousy that got sent with the last demand and she knew Cosima could feel it.

 

 _No. You don’t get to do this...You’re not on my side anymore, you said it yourself. I’m working on my own case, not one for the Bureau. You don’t need to be involved._ Cosima sounded final, unmoving.

 

 _I’m still your partner, Cosima._ Delphine knew the desperation was unbecoming.

 

 _Things are different now, Delphine._ And with that, Cosima shut her out as easily as ending a phone call.

 

///

 

If Cosima was going to act this way, Delphine wasn’t just going to sit by and let it happen. She could think of an endless number of scenarios in which Cosima made risky decisions, made even riskier by doing them alone. She only had one lead, and she knew Cosima wouldn’t be happy about it.

 

She pulled up outside of the building, a combination of landmarks and guesswork finally leading to what she was nearly certain was her destination. She made her way inside and gave three sharp knocks against the sheet metal door. There was a slight delay before the door was partially opened, distrustfully.

 

“ _Oh._..Delphine?” Alison’s voice immediately tinged with concern. “Is...where’s Cosima?” She unlocked and pulled the door the rest of the way open.

 

“I was hoping you could help me find her, actually.”

 

Alison gestured rapidly for her to enter the apartment, shutting and locking the door meticulously once again. “Cosima’s missing?” Her voice had pinched a few octaves higher with worry.

 

Before Delphine could respond, angry stomping and a shout cut her off. “What the hell is she doing here?” Sarah’s gruffness from before was amplified. Delphine swallowed. She must have heard something from Cosima about what happened between them.

 

“Sarah, please. Delphine came because Cosima is missing--” Alison was interrupted this time.

 

“Bullshit. She doesn’t want you to find her, okay? Felix told me everything, what you did to her. And you really think you can show up on her _family’s_ doorstep trying to weasel your way back in?” Sarah had gotten in her face, was glaring and growling out her words.

 

“I’m not trying...I regret what happened, believe me. I didn’t want any of it to happen like this. I care about Cosima. I just want to help her,” Delphine pleaded with the angry woman in front of her.

 

“Yeah well, she doesn’t need your help. She’s got us, we’ve all been doing it long enough to take care of each other,” Sarah turned her back on Delphine, seemingly done with the conversation.

 

“If something happens to her…” Delphine tried again. “If the Bureau finds her working alone and AWOL on an unauthorized case there will be consequences. I promise you, I’m only trying to protect her. I can help.”

 

Sarah dropped her body onto the couch, uncaring. “She’s got all the help she needs right now, bugger off.”

 

“Sarah, you know where Cosima is?” Alison’s voice finally cut back into the conversation.

 

“ _Yes_ , Alison. She’s fine. With Meathead.”

 

“She’s with _Helena_?” Alison’s voice rose even more, and she began pacing, processing. “And you’re sure they’re okay? Because when Helena asks for help, it’s not usually as simple as her borrowing a cup of sugar.”

 

Delphine took her opportunity. “I need to find Cosima. If anything gets out of hand, there are worse consequences than her losing her job. The Bureau can have her arrested, charges can be filed against her.”

 

The weight of legality hit Alison squarely and she made up her mind, with or without Sarah’s consent. “Well then...it sounds to me like we’re all going on a little roadtrip.”

 

///

 

After three uncomfortably tense hours in Alison’s minivan, they finally turned down an unmarked dirt driveway, in what seemed to be the middle of agricultural fields. Delphine peered out of her window curiously, impatient for the next fifteen minutes of slow crawling over the unpaved path. Finally, a small cropping of pine trees appeared, and wedged in the middle of the patch, a silver trailer.

 

They exited the van, Delphine lingering behind the other two women after Sarah scowled at her yet again and stomped in front of her. Sarah rattled the handle on the camper, locked, before pounding out a knock.

 

“Oi! Helena! It’s me and Alison.” There wasn’t a response, so with an annoyed grunt, Sarah began kicking at the front door noisily.

 

“Oh please! Sarah!” Alison grabbed the woman’s shoulder and pulled her back with an admonishing look. “I have a spare key, calm down.” Alison spun her key ring until she found the right one and stepped up to pull the door open.

 

The three peered inside simultaneously. The trailer was completely empty, aside from a filthy persian rug on the floor.

 

Sarah barged forward. “Hello! Meathead! Where the hell are you?” She spun around before finally catching sight of the small black lens tucked into one of the corners of the ceiling. “Hey!” She waved her arms for the camera. “It’s us, c’mon. Show yourself.”

 

And with that, the rug flung back, the hatch of a trap door pushing up from beneath it. Cosima’s head poked out, facing Sarah. “Hey, what are you--” But then she caught sight of Alison and Delphine. “Seriously? You brought her here?” She turned back to Sarah, who Cosima had assumed to be the most trusted of gatekeepers.

 

Sarah rolled her eyes. “She said a lot of stuff that freaked Alison out. Said you’d get locked up,” She explained shortly.

 

Cosima sighed and turned her attention back to Delphine. The blonde cared less about her partner’s frustration, she was still feeling immense relief at having found the woman unharmed. “Well, you found me. Now you can write up a report for the Director--”

 

“Cosima,” Delphine said her name emphatically, and something about the tone made Cosima stop talking. “At least let me see what you’re working on.”

 

Resigned, Cosima threw the hatch the rest of the way open and beckoned for the three women to follow her.

 

///

 

Helena lounged comfortably on one side of the hidden dugout below her trailer. She was eating a box of powdered doughnuts, two or three at a time, eyes studiously watching the exchange before her. The bunker was equivalent in size to the trailer sitting above, but was full of... _everything._ The dirt ceiling had been coated in several layers of tin foil, an excess that left Delphine questioning how Helena had even acquired such a large amount. The rest of the space contained stacks of newspapers, file folders, several computer monitors, empty food containers, blurry pictures, and in one corner, what seemed to be a nest of blankets and bean bag chairs. Delphine felt her jealousy twinge again; had Cosima been staying here? Sleeping in this relatively dirty hole in the ground?

 

Cosima was wrapping up her explanation to Delphine. Alison and Sarah sat atop the pile of blankets and sleeping bags, seeming mostly disinterested or bored. Like they had heard all of this before. Delphine wondered what they thought of Cosima’s fixation; they supported her undoubtedly, provided weapons and assistance when requested, but did they really _believe_ Cosima?

 

Delphine knew Cosima hadn’t been prying into her mind, but could sense the direction of her thoughts, the doubt. Her partner sighed, handing over a stack of photographs.

 

“I know you’re questioning what I’m doing here...maybe even questioning my sanity again. But at least look at these,” Cosima gestured to the pictures.

 

They were aerials. Taken from above farmland. Delphine realized what she was looking at.

 

“Crop circles?” She tried to keep her voice neutral, feeling the thin ice Cosima had reluctantly allowed her to stand on.

 

Cosima nodded. “Just look at them, that’s all I’m asking.”

 

Delphine flipped through the pictures. The designs were complex, she could admit that. They certainly would have taken a decent amount of time to create, to get the placement and patterning distanced correctly. She stopped on a particularly large and elaborate design. Cosima leaned forward.

 

“That one’s a triskelion. All of the circles form three interlocking spirals. This one is almost 800 feet across.”

 

Delphine agreed that these designs were certainly intentional, but why did Cosima refuse to acknowledge that humans had been _found_ making other crop circles. She knew the only evidence that did exist all led back to people, here on Earth, who certainly had too much free time or more likely, an obsession. Delphine started to open her mouth but Cosima wasn’t done yet.

 

“I know what you’re going to say. But _this_ ,” She pulled out a larger print, this one resembled a map. “...is why I’m here.” Cosima smoothed out the map, which showed demarcations in the shape of a half-crescent. In the middle of the curve was a large X. Delphine leaned in with her partner to better understand. Cosima explained what she was looking at, “These marks, the ones that create the half-circle, those are the locations of the crop circles you have in your hands. The X is where we are right now, Helena’s trailer.” Delphine was following now, and yes, it was...an odd coincidence. Cosima must have sensed her willingness. “Why would hoaxers be targeting Helena? How would they even know she was here? You saw how remote it is out here, the access isn’t great, there aren’t roads that lead directly to the areas the circles have appeared…”

 

Delphine agreed. The coincidence seemed unlikely. But perhaps Helena _was_ being targeted by someone. The crop circles seemed like an extravagant and laborious method by which to intimidate someone. Perhaps it wasn’t a threat though, but someone who wanted to manipulate the intuitives’ fears, keep Helena trapped in a paranoid state, isolated...

 

Delphine realized Cosima was staring at her. Her partner shifted closer, voice softer, more forgiving than it had been in a long time. “What are you thinking?”

 

Delphine chose her words carefully. “I understand why you’re here...there are questions to be answered.” Cosima nodded, gauging Delphine’s reaction. “I wouldn’t say there is enough evidence for me to believe the source is...extraterrestrial,” Delphine stumbled a bit on the word, cautious. “But, someone seems to know Helena is here. And they want her to know that they know.”

 

Delphine felt the release of tension that rolled off of Cosima, the lowering of defenses. And suddenly, all she wanted was to feel the other woman again. Her gaze, her body, her lips...Delphine swallowed thickly. She tried to get a handle on her feelings, realizing she was surrounded by psychics.

 

///

 

Delphine was finally home again. She had left Cosima and Helena at Sarah's flat several hours ago after a long drive back to the city, all shoved into Alison’s minivan, all contributing to the decisions that had been reached. Helena would stay with Alison briefly while a new safe location, still underground at Helena’s insistence, was acquired and prepped. This one would be less remote, easier for all of the intuitives to access in case of an emergency.

 

Sarah’s distrust hadn’t lessened any though, and she spent her energy throwing daggers at Delphine at any given opportunity. She caused a fuss about including Delphine in any knowledge of where Helena would be, but she had been appeased when Delphine agreed to remain excluded from the knowledge of the woman’s eventual destination.

 

Delphine had been lost in her own head since she had stepped back into her apartment; not thoughts about Helena or Sarah or Alison, only Cosima. She glanced at the clock, nearing 9pm. As she realized her mind had been circling the same decision, the same desire, she knew she wouldn’t sleep tonight unless she spoke to her partner.

 

Without questioning herself, she sent Cosima a text. _Could I see you tonight?_

 

A few minutes passed before she got a response.

 

_Come over._

 

///

 

They were sitting side by side on Cosima’s fire escape, not quite near enough for their shoulders to touch. Cosima’s feet dangled over the edge, swinging back and forth every now and then, a joint burning in her right hand. They hadn’t said much to each other so far, both willing to sit with the silence for the time being, not uncomfortably.

 

Delphine’s heart had quickened its pace as soon as Cosima had opened her door; her hair hung damp, loose, and curly, freshly showered and outside of its usual bun. Delphine had only seen it like this once before, and now their sole night spent together was all her brain could stutter over, desire swerving her thoughts out of control.

 

She didn’t know where to start. She barely accepted where she wanted to end, but she had resolved to let her emotions take the reigns, enough mental plotting. Enough dismissing Cosima and everything she represented. So, without preamble, Delphine spoke. “I miss you.”

 

Cosima studied her profile for a few moments. “I know,” She sighed, taking another drag. “It’s like you accidentally set a telepathic distress call that only broadcasts to my brain.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Delphine apologized for the unintended intrusions. “For everything...with the Bureau, your friends…” Delphine faltered. There was too much to apologize for, too much Cosima wouldn’t forgive…

 

“There are scientists who think there’s a different, more advanced binary code embedded in crop circles. And there are other theories...non-extraterrestrial theories,” Cosima shifted the direction of their conversation. “Some posit that they _are_ made by humans, just not contemporaneously. Time travelers.” She took a few more puffs and gazed out over the city, before looking back and finally locking eyes with her partner. “Delphine, I’m not saying any one of these theories is a definitive truth. I’m just investigating, doing our job. Skepticism can only go so far, especially when you personally experience a phenomenon the scientific community denies.”

 

Delphine nodded, understanding. She couldn’t explain but certainly couldn’t refute Cosima’s abilities, their near constant presence in each other’s heads. Her partner continued.

 

“What I do know is that someone or something is closing in on Helena. And I won’t sit here and let what happened to Beth happen to her,” Cosima’s voice quieted, unconsciously shifting nearer to Delphine. “I still feel her...Beth is out there somewhere, and if she weren’t being held against her will, she would be communicating with me.”

 

Delphine let her pinky brush against the back of Cosima’s hand, feeling _every_ thing. “I believe you,” She hushed. Cosima’s eyes shot up. “I do…” Delphine continued. “And while I’m going to make it look like I’m complying with my directives from the Bureau, I _will_ protect you. All of you.” She let her hand cover Cosima’s fully now. “I promise you, Cosima.”

 

Cosima nodded slowly, let the warmth from Delphine’s hand slowly seep into her own. “Trust has to work both ways. It’s not going to be easy at first, maybe never…”

 

“We already trust each other enough to not peer into each other’s thoughts without permission,” Delphine reminded.

 

Cosima scoffed, “Okay yeah, but we need to work on that with you. I don’t think you realize what you’re doing sometimes.” Cosima was finally smiling at her again, be it a small smirk. Delphine let her eyes linger too long on her mouth. “Like, right now you really want to kiss me,” Cosima’s voice had changed, uncharacteristically shy.

 

Delphine cast her eyes away, more than a little embarrassed at her obviousness. “And...you don’t want that?” She managed to stammer out, a few beats later. She looked back over at another of Cosima’s extended sighs.

  
“I...I don’t think I can handle that again.” Delphine felt her stomach drop painfully, but Cosima allowed their shoulders to finally touch. “Not yet.”

 

Cosima’s body heat helped to smooth over the hurt Delphine felt; the blonde tried to focus on the possibility of Cosima’s words, the reassurance her presence still provided. She nodded again, looking down to her hand still atop Cosima’s. “So...partners?” Delphine’s tone was amiable though tentative.

 

Cosima held her gaze, like _before_ , and gave her another small smile. “Partners.” She confirmed the truce with a gentle nudge to Delphine’s shoulder.


	11. mire

It was the third time in the last twenty minutes Delphine had caught herself staring at Cosima’s profile, eyes tracing her cheeks and chin, inevitably lingering on her lips. Things had been better the past two months, but the echoes of Cosima’s past statement lingered true: things were different now. They had plugged away at the last six cases they had been assigned; Cosima had been quiet and professional throughout. She hadn’t been cold to Delphine necessarily, but distant; not unfriendly. Cosima’s paranormal theories that usually bubbled under all of her actions and questions, leading her along, now remained tucked away, private. Every now and then Delphine caught a flash of intrigue or surprise cross her partner’s face but Cosima didn’t share.

 

She was being very cautious. Not just with Delphine, but with work altogether. Delphine wondered what conversations had transpired between Cosima and her friends; had Alison and Sarah encouraged her to pull back, perform normalcy? Did Cosima decide on her own? Was it just another step in pulling away from the Bureau, from Delphine? The psychic brushes, feeling Cosima’s intuitiveness tickling behind her eyes, had been nonexistent since their carefully agreed upon balance. Perhaps Cosima thought she was making it easier for Delphine to comply with their superiors.

 

But Delphine found herself aching from the absence. And the further away she felt Cosima drifting, the further her thoughts ran in directions that startled her. Thoughts of abandoning her position, forsaking the Bureau in a fantasy in which she and Cosima could exist, together.

 

“Okay,” Cosima’s affirmation shook Delphine from her circular thought pattern. She met Cosima’s eyes. “Can I get your medical opinion on this?” She had strolled up to Delphine’s desk and dropped a file in front of her.

 

Delphine opened it, skimming quickly. “Four deaths, detached limbs, never recovered from the area...A serial case?” She glanced up to see Cosima’s reaction. Her partner gestured to keep reading.

 

“Look at the autopsy.”

 

Delphine flipped through a few pages. “One of the legs was... _gnawed_ off?”

 

“But…” Cosima dragged the word. Delphine felt a flutter around her ribs; Cosima’s tone and demeanor had a degree of the playfulness once present in the past.

 

Delphine refocused, finally caught on to where Cosima was leading her. “The cause of death was asphyxiation. They drowned…and the limbs were removed after their death,” Delphine paused, hoping her partner would elaborate, hint at a theory lurking behind her glasses. Cosima waited back. Delphine read a little further. The Florida Everglades. She turned to the medical examiner’s photographs, noting the messy striations that remained behind in place of the lost limbs.

 

Cosima had been waiting and as she recognized Delphine’s realization, she leaned forward. “You know, there’s actually a place in Florida called Lake Placid...but I guess that would have been a little too on the nose, right?” One side of her mouth pulled up into a smirk.

 

Delphine’s eyebrows rose towards her hairline. “Your theory is a...giant alligator? Did you consider a normally sized alligator first?”

 

“The deaths occurred on consecutive nights. I think even a _very_ hungry, ‘normally sized alligator’ would have been satisfied with one human dinner for the week. But I think something else is going on...I think something’s being provoked.”

 

“...but it still couldn’t be a regular alligator, or a job for the area’s animal control...” Delphine’s dubiousness at their involvement couldn’t be contained, even though Cosima was inviting her back in more than she had in months. She briefly wondered if this was even a Bureau-assigned case.

 

Cosima rolled her eyes playfully. “C’mon. I already booked our flight, we land in Miami tonight. Get ready to get sweaty.”

 

\\\\\

 

They pulled up to a dated motel along the highway after stopping in to the local police department, where the sheriff had made it abundantly clear that Cosima was indeed meddling where she was unwanted. This confirmation spurred curious feelings inside of Delphine; a flash of worry over what her supervisors would do when they found out, which was quickly overshadowed by a larger feeling of excitement. Of being invited here by Cosima, purposefully.

 

They strolled up to their separate but adjoining rooms and Delphine felt transported back to their first assignment together. Felt herself craving Cosima’s eyes, the brush of clairvoyance. Cosima interrupted the direction of her thoughts.

 

“Tomorrow morning I want to interview the witness from the first death. Get an idea of where and what they were doing out there,” She gestured widely to the swampy marshes visible in the distance, the cicada buzz a constant in the background.

 

Delphine nodded, strangely nervous. “Okay.”

 

Cosima gave her a brief smile before ducking into her room, “G’night, Cormier.” Either she didn’t notice Delphine’s energy or she chose to ignore it.

 

For what felt like hours, Delphine laid on top of the stiff and ugly comforter, fully clothed, struggling against the urge to knock on Cosima’s door.

 

\\\\\

 

Four loud raps on her door jolted her awake. Still clothed, still on top of the uncomfortable bed. It was dark outside. She peered through her door’s peephole; Cosima stood outside waiting casually. Delphine opened the door, rubbing at her eyes as an afterthought.

 

Cosima quirked her head at her partner’s appearance. “Did you sleep in that?”

 

Delphine self-consciously straightened her wrinkled blouse, clearing her throat. “What time is it?”

 

“Just after 4AM. Our witness is a fisherman, gotta catch him before he heads out. I’ll buy you a coffee on the way.”

 

Delphine barely had time to change and run her hands through her curls before being led away by her partner.

 

\\\\\

 

“Jimmy White?” Cosima had driven them along a small road, winding around the edge of a swampy area until they reached a dock with a few large trucks parked nearby, and an equal number of boats in the water. One of the men on a boat looked up at Cosima’s address.

 

“Yep, who’s askin’?” He eyed the two women, adjusting the baseball cap on his head.

 

“Special Agent Niehaus with the FBI,” She flashed her badge. “This is my partner Agent Cormier. Can we ask you a few questions about Kevin?” She stepped closer, toeing the edge of the dock, peering into the man’s airboat. There were long gigging spears, nets, a machete, all tucked along the edges of the boat.

 

“Uh, sure,” He shifted, slightly nervous.

 

“You were...fishing, trapping, hunting? When you lost sight of Kevin?” Cosima had locked in on her witness; Delphine watched as she noted the once familiar procedure of Cosima psychically assisting her questioning.

 

“Um, that night we were gigging. For gators.” He began winding a rope around his hand, trying to shrug off the questioning.

 

Cosima broke her gaze to flash a look to her partner before refocusing. “In the police report, you said Kevin had gotten out of the boat and was in the water when he disappeared? What was he doing?”

 

“We were following a big one. Thought we had got it with the spear, so Kevin hopped in to haul it up. We was only in knee-deep water, nothin’ we hadn’t done before.” He tucked the coil of rope away.

 

“How big?” Cosima pushed, eager.

 

“Mm, seven or eight foot?” Jimmy estimated, glancing over at the other men on their boats.

 

Cosima noted a hesitancy. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “ _Only_ seven feet?”

 

“Yup.” He nodded, unconcerned. Cosima’s face dropped a little bit. She wasn’t done.

 

“Listen, I know you have your day planned already but...if we came back tonight, would you take us out on your boat? To the last place you saw Kevin alive.” She saw his hesitation and reached for her wallet, pulling out two hundred dollar bills. His interest was apparent.

 

“Reckon I can manage that. Meet me back here at 8pm?”

 

And with a mutual nod, their plans were set.

 

\\\\\

 

The remainder of the day mostly involved uncomfortable degrees of heat. Delphine was down to her chiffon blouse, eyelids heavy, as she sat in a stifling little office next to her partner. Cosima had long since abandoned her blazer in the back of their rental car, her shirt sleeves rolled up and top button undone nonchalantly. The sweltering heat made it hard to fully lust, but Delphine was managing, though subtly. She had long since zoned out the ramblings of the slight and graying ecologist who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his conversation with Cosima about the dislocation of local wildlife with ever-increasing construction, the eradication of the Everglades and its ecosystems…

 

Suddenly, Cosima’s hand was on Delphine’s shoulder. Delphine could feel the dampness of her palm through her shirt, tuned back into the tail end of Cosima’s parting words. “Thanks again for your time, Dr. Hernandez. You’ve been very helpful.” Cosima was smiling, her enthusiasm still present.

 

Delphine slumped into the car, turning the air conditioning up as high as possible and gulping down the cold air. “How can he possibly sit in that room all day?” Delphine grumbled, letting her eyes fall shut in relief.

 

“Doesn’t your skin feel incredibly moisturized though?” Cosima grinned, nudging her partner’s arm with her elbow. Delphine was unresponsive to the joke. “Don’t worry, you’ll feel better tonight. On the boat. With a six pack.”

 

\\\\\

 

Much to Cosima’s chagrin, Delphine didn’t allow her to buy beer for their boat trip, but the blonde did at least seem a little cooled down. The sun had just set and despite the loudness of the airboat, skimming through the marshland following the halogen beams that lit up various little sets of eyes along the way was actually quite fun for Cosima. She kept glancing to Delphine, whose grip was white-knuckled from the motion of the boat, but who otherwise seemed less on edge than earlier in the day.

 

Jimmy eventually slowed the boat down, killing the engine and the headlights after reaching a certain place. He flicked on a smaller, handheld torch and a dim lantern that cast the deck of the boat in a blueish glow. He aimed his beam out into the swamp, slowly scanning for signs of movement.

 

Cosima stood from her spot next to Delphine and moved to stand beside him. “You’re looking for it?” Her tone was quiet and calm.

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Mind if I chum?” Cosima held up the small plastic bag of bloody fish parts, the one purchase she had insisted upon at the small bait and tackle shop that doubled as a convenience store. Dr. Hernandez had agreed that a lack of prey could have been causing a predator to resort to attacking humans. The stench hit Delphine’s nose, and she turned away as Cosima chucked out the fish into the water. 

 

“It’s really not any bigger than seven feet?” Cosima pushed again, hoping for honesty now that they were alone with the witness.

 

“Naw…” He kept at his searching for a few moments before flicking the light off. “But…” He hesitated, peering at Cosima, gauging her trustworthiness. But Cosima had already pried, unbeknownst to the man, and his next revelation did more to enlighten Delphine. “It’s no gator. I know what the cops said and everything. But we’ve been trackin’ this thing for weeks. Swims and moves like a gator, but has the face of a _person_. Me and Kev _had_ it.” His tone had pitched a little wild with desperation. “You know the kinda cash we’d get for that? That’s why all these other fools have come out and got killed the same way...We was tryin’ to bring it in alive, s’why Kev jumped in for it. And we _did_ have it, we stuck it good, but it musta got free. And fuckin’ Kevin _chased_ it--”

 

A splash in the distance cut off Jimmy’s story. He flicked his light back on and swiveled towards the source of the noise quickly. Two almond shaped eyes sat in the distance, reflecting gold at them, just above the surface of the water. Cosima heard Delphine’s small gasp. “Is that it?” Cosima’s voice was barely a whisper.

 

“Sure looks like it.” Jimmy was stock still, beam of light unmoving.

 

“Can we get closer?” Cosima didn’t need to be able to see to feel Delphine’s frown.

 

“Not with the boat…”

 

“How deep is the water?” Cosima had already stepped to the edge of the boat, was eyeing the distance down.

 

“Prob’ly to your shins. Little shallower if you head directly towards it, there’s a bank right up there,” He gestured with the flashlight.

 

“ _Cosima_ ,” Delphine’s warning tone was accompanied with an even sterner and discouraging grip on her partner’s bicep. “Whatever that may be, it has _killed_ four people in less than a week…”

 

“But they didn’t have guns.” Cosima patted her hip, overly confident.

 

“But they _knew_ the area. Even if an alligator doesn’t bite you, you can get stuck in the mud, impaled by one of the cypress roots, _lost_ \--”

 

“I’ll come with you,” Jimmy interrupted, already reaching down to grip one of his spearguns. “Here,” He handed Cosima another flashlight. “As long as we keep it in our sights, we’ll be good. If we lose it...well, best run back to the boat as quick as you can,” He let out a small huff of a chuckle.

 

“Cosima…” Delphine felt helpless, knew what was going to happen no matter what she said.

 

“Flip the high beams on if something happens. I’ll be okay, I _promise_.” Cosima gave her most reassuring look before turning and slowly lowering herself into the water following Jimmy. Their footsteps were slow and made gentle sloshing noises, Cosima’s shoes immediately flooded but thankfully not sucked down into sludge. She could feel Delphine’s anxiety following her, desperate telepathic brushes of concern.

 

Jimmy’s spotlight still had the reflective eyes in its path. Whatever it was wasn’t moving, seemed to be waiting for them to come closer.

 

“Still think that’s it?” Cosima whispered to her guide, following his careful path.

 

“I _know_ that’s it,” He hushed back. They were closer now. Maybe thirty feet away. Jimmy halted. “Alright, I’m gonna head straight for it. Try and snag it with this.” He tapped his spear. “You swing around the right, keep your light on it. If it comes at either of us fast, shoot it. But I still get the money, even if it’s dead by your gun,” He negotiated seriously.

 

Cosima nodded in the dark before vocalising. “Sure, yeah…” And then Jimmy slowly started forward, so she proceeded to follow his instructions. As they both got closer, the eyes stayed focused on Jimmy’s light. Cosima was reassured by this. Ideally, she could get close enough to get a clear ID on the creature, hopefully it would be distracted enough by Jimmy’s actions…

 

But as they closed in the final fifteen feet, the eyes disappeared.

 

Cosima’s chest lurched. She heard Jimmy’s shout to her left. “It went under! Get out of the water!” Panicked, Cosima tried to jog through the water a few more steps; the bank was just in front of her, and though still very marshy, at least she’d be able to see her feet. But as she got closer, the mud got thicker and then she was slipping. As she began to pitch forward, still struggling for footing, her flashlight fell helplessly into the water. And then her shin caught on one of the cypress knots Delphine tried to warn her about, and that was it, she fell face first into the cloudy water. She surfaced quickly, gasping through the mud that now coated her entire body.

 

“Cosima!”

 

She heard Delphine’s frantic call, still too far behind her to actually help. She pulled her filthy glasses off of her face, smearing the mud on the lenses in attempt to see again.

 

“I’m over here!” She hollered back at her partner, the fear finally slipping into her gut. She had no idea where the flashlight had sunk, could only see the brightness from the boat in the distance through the smears on her glasses. She was a sitting duck. “Delphine! I’m not ashamed to say you were right, please just come get me!” She struggled for footing, still helplessly sinking into the mudbank under her feet. She turned around nervously, trying to peer through her near useless frames.

 

And there was a figure standing right behind her. She gasped but no scream passed her lips. It was taller than she was, its skin dark, mottled. Not an alligator. But not human either, at least based on the dirty glimpses Cosima could make out. Her heart was thundering. Where was Delphine? She slowly let her hand drift towards her holster, but before her fingers even grazed the clip, the creature was a blur of motion and Cosima felt a searing burn across her stomach.

 

She let out a strangled yelp, before falling forward to her knees, water and muck swirling up around her body again.

 

Delphine’s splashing footsteps were closing in behind her suddenly, a beam of light finally illuminating the area around her. “Cosima!” Delphine was beside her, pulling her up to get a look at her body. Cosima may not have been able to see yet, but the blood rapidly blooming across Cosima’s shirt was all Delphine could focus on.

 

\\\\\

 

Delphine sat nervously on Cosima’s motel bed. Her medkit was beside her waiting, much like Delphine was for the noise of the shower to stop running. Cosima had refused to be taken to the hospital, insisting the three gashes, the _claw marks_ , across her abdomen were surface and that Delphine could patch them easily.

 

Delphine nearly insisted on helping her partner shower, imagining all of the mud and filth from the swamp running into Cosima’s open wounds. She would make her go to the doctor once they were home again. Finally, the bathroom door swung open. Cosima was clothed, though clutching a towel to her abdomen to staunch the blood. Delphine was caught staring; Cosima’s hair was down again, the gentle curls wet and framing her face, making her appear more vulnerable.

 

Cosima cleared her throat. “So, uh…still kind of bloody,” She eased her body next to Delphine on the bed, carefully pulling away the reddened bath towel. Delphine frowned at the wound, worry making her actions quick and precise. She cleaned and dressed to the best of her ability, mind still whirring with concern for her partner.

 

“At least I’ll have a scar to remember the swamp thing by, right?” Cosima tried to joke away some of Delphine’s tension before sighing. “You were right. It was dangerous and I’m sorry.”

 

Delphine finally nodded, letting most of her anxiety wash away. Cosima was alive, and it was a minor injury overall.

 

“Plus,” Cosima continued, shifting closer so their shoulders touched. “It was sort of like old times...like when I got you shot in the shoulder.”

 

Delphine rolled her eyes. “Right, because I really did want to relive moments like those.”

 

“C’mon, you don’t miss the danger? The intrigue?” Cosima was giving her a real grin now. “The _unexplainable_?” She dipped her voice lower as she leaned in.

 

But suddenly, she was too close. And Delphine was too flustered. So she stood up, abruptly and more than a little awkward. “Right...it’s late,” She started to move to the door.

 

“Hey,” Cosima interrupted her exit. “Now that we’re off the clock, wanna grab those beers?”

 

And Delphine couldn’t say no, so she shuffled with Cosima to the gas station on the street corner, her partner slightly bent and holding her injury but with a brave and unconcerned face as she bought them a six pack of cheap beer. They were on Cosima’s motel bed for the second time, now much more relaxed and halfway through their drinks. A smile lingered on Delphine’s lips from whatever bad joke Cosima had just amused herself with, and the blonde was again reminded of their first case together, the ease with which she had fallen into Cosima’s company. The buzz from the beer was making her usual stolen looks a little sloppier, and she kept catching herself lingering on Cosima’s lips. She stopped after her second can, and Cosima gladly guzzled her fourth, her injury bothering her more than she would admit.

 

She threw the emptied can aside carelessly, laying down completely on her back, before she grew tired of not being able to see Delphine and propped herself up again on an elbow. She squinted at the blonde playfully, unable to contain her smile. “I know what you’re thinking,” She swayed a little with a grin.

 

Delphine smiled back, Cosima’s inebriation was endearing. “That you’re entirely reckless and willing to go to any length to get a picture and an autograph with a movie monster?” Delphine teased.

 

Cosima leaned closer, still smiling. “That isn’t what you were thinking about,” Her tone was knowing, inviting.

 

Delphine swallowed, the energy of the room changing. She glanced down at the space between them, trying to keep her nervousness at bay. “I thought we didn’t play the mind reading game anymore,” Her voice was stilted, unsure.

 

“Do you know what I’m thinking?” Cosima was looking into her eyes, deeply and earnestly.

 

Delphine tried to shake off the tension, the emotion and meaning that was starting to seep into their words. “I think…” She almost got lost in Cosima’s eyes. “I think you’re a little drunk.” She tried to shift away from her partner on the bed, but Cosima reached out, gently encircling her wrist.

 

“I miss you too, Delphine,” The look on Cosima’s face had sobered. “Will you just...stay here tonight?”

 

After a few moments and a gentle nod, Delphine eased down beside her partner, their fingers now lightly entwined as their quiet company eased them to sleep.


	12. life

The flight home felt incredibly short. Delphine caught herself trying to drag out the minutes, running over the details of their morning together. It had been calm and...domestic. Cosima had gazed at her with a certain fondness since she awoke, her energy quiet but open. After sharing two cups of bitter instant coffee, Delphine applied new bandages to her partner’s injury and helped her get dressed, fingers gingerly doing up the buttons of Cosima’s shirt. Their eyes shyly met over and over, their bodies hovering close, uncontrollably.

 

The glances continued throughout the duration of the flight and the shared cab ride to Cosima’s apartment. Delphine hesitated, unsure if she was meant to follow the other woman up. Cosima tenderly touched her abdomen, wincing. “I think I’ll probably take the day off, spend some time on my back and away from the eyes of disapproving supervisors…” Delphine nodded in understanding, a little disappointed that she wouldn’t get to continue whatever this new dynamic was between the two of them. But then Cosima was leaning back into the cab, pressing a lingering kiss against her cheek. “But...do you want to come back over tonight?” Cosima sounded nervous, like she was asking her on their first date.

 

Delphine smiled at her, “Yes. I’ll bring dinner.”

 

Cosima’s reciprocal smile was genuine and unfettered.

 

\\\\\

 

After a visit to her own apartment, a shower and a change of clothes later, Delphine found herself back in their basement office alone; this time, she was much less encumbered with worry over Cosima and instead felt buoyed in anticipation of their night together. Her thoughts kept swerving into sensual territory, and she felt ashamed at the lack of control she had towards her desires involving Cosima. She hoped her partner wasn’t psychically in tune with her at the moment; her cheeks reddened in embarrassment at the possibility of Cosima catching glimpses of her fantasies.

 

She busied herself organizing some of the messier stacks of research around the office, trying to work pieces into an appropriate place in Cosima’s filing cabinets. As she lifted another file to tuck away, she paused at the photographs she found underneath. They were the aerials of the crop circles surrounding Helena’s former hideout. She flipped through them thoughtfully, her mind turning back to her conversation with Cosima, her partner’s insistence that Beth was alive.

 

And though she knew Cosima surely had dug as deeply as humanly possible into her friend’s disappearance, Delphine decided to follow suit down the rabbit hole. It didn’t take long in the databases, using her name, location, and a general timeframe, to find information about Beth’s disappearance. She disappeared from home, in her own bed, next to her sleeping boyfriend. No one suspected kidnapping or foul play, forensics had found no sign of struggle, blood, bodily fluids…

 

Delphine could see how Cosima believed her friend had disappeared without a trace, but she could also see how the investigating officers designated it a deliberate departure that Beth had orchestrated herself. She looked further for more evidence of something. There were no missing personal belongings, no go bag or suitcase, her wallet had been left behind. And yet...a large sum of cash had been withdrawn from Beth’s savings account a day before her disappearance. What did Cosima think of this detail? How did she justify it?

 

Delphine tried to keep her thoughts neutral and unbiased, tried to keep following the information. There were no witnesses, no security footage, nothing reported by the neighbors...and then she saw his face. A photograph of Beth’s boyfriend, Paul Dierden. Delphine knew him.

 

She furrowed her brow in concentration. He was in the Academy with her. Former military, spec ops. What had happened to him? He had graduated with the rest of the class, but she hadn’t seen him in other departments of the Bureau…

 

And suddenly she found herself with a tingle in her gut that she imagined Cosima often felt. She punched in Paul’s name, started tracing him backwards in time. There was a five year period unaccounted for in public and private records. His reappearance coincided with Beth’s disappearance. What did that mean? Delphine tried to pry further but only ran up against dead ends. She chewed on her lip before making a decision.

 

She hadn’t used this encrypted account for a very long time, the old friend and former partner was the one who had helped her make it in the first place. She began the email: _Art, I know it’s been quite a while…_

 

\\\\\

 

She hadn’t been able to make any more progress on her own and knew she wouldn’t get a response from Art for at least another 24 hours, so Delphine had mostly spent the rest of her day deciding what type of takeout would please Cosima most. Should she bring more beer? Wine? Or should this night be sober, force their shy dance into the open without a crutch?

 

And then her desk phone rang, her stomach plummeting all over again at what it could mean.

 

\\\\\

 

“Where’s Niehaus?”

 

She stepped into her Director’s office alone and incredibly anxious. “Out sick. The flu.” She hoped the short response sounded natural.

 

He grunted in response. “Unfortunate. I wanted both of you there, but I need someone on the scene immediately so you’ll have to be on your own, Cormier.”

 

“May I ask what the emergency is?” Delphine’s nervousness had bayed, the urgency was because of a case, nothing related to her or Cosima.

 

“A meteor just struck down in upstate New York. Initial reports say a potentially unidentified life form came along for the ride.”

 

\\\\\

 

Delphine felt guilty not going to Cosima’s apartment first to tell her what was happening, but the Director had put her on the absolutely next available flight and she barely had enough time to make it to the airport. Now that she was in the cab, she quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Cosima.

 

“It’s barely 4pm, Cormier. Are you that eager for my company?” Cosima’s tone was playful, inviting, and Delphine nearly groaned out loud in frustration at the interruption to their plans.

 

“Cosima, they just put me on the next flight to New York. An urgent case: there was a meteor landing, they think there’s a lifeform--”

 

“What?!” The word exploded from Cosima’s mouth. “Are you kidding me? Swing by my place, I can be ready in five minutes. I’m coming with you.”

 

Delphine could hear her frantic rustling over the line. “No, no...I already told the Director you were out with the flu. Plus, with your injury you really shouldn’t be in the field so soon…”

 

“Delphine, you’re on your way to investigate _alien life_ and you’re telling _me_ to stay home?!” Cosima was working herself into a frenzy.

 

Delphine knew there would be no stopping her. “Please...rest tonight and take the first flight tomorrow morning? For me?”

 

Cosima sighed loudly, but Delphine could hear the acceptance. “Fine. For you.” There was a certain emotional weight attached to Cosima’s words. “But...be careful, okay? I’m not there to watch your back...or y’know, be the one to get bitten by the alien or whatever.”

 

Delphine’s cab had pulled up to departures. “I’ll see you first thing tomorrow.”

 

\\\\\

 

Delphine hadn’t expected to be driven straight to the site, but time seemed to be of the essence. The sun had not set long ago, but already a large, heavily guarded perimeter contained a flood of spotlights illuminating the area of impact. She flashed her badge a few times to get to the inner circle, finally being approached by a man in a lab coat.

 

“You’re the doctor right, FBI?”

 

Delphine nodded in response, distracted and peering over his shoulder. “Federal Agent Cormier.”

 

“You guys are fast, I’ll give you that. You beat the CDC here. I have a feeling things are going to get messy.”

 

“What have you found?” Delphine’s curiosity was burning.

 

“Definitely a living organism. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before, but I think it most closely resembles a fungi. We should be able to get immense data from this sky rock. This is a breakthrough,” He seemed excited over the discovery, and Delphine found herself wishing for Cosima. “Wanna see?” Was he trying to impress her now? She nodded along anyway.

 

\\\\\

 

She had put on a paper surgical mask and pair of safety eyewear and was squatting next to the scientist. It was incredible, she could admit that. The ridges of growth had a fluorescent tint, purple hues shining unnaturally.

 

“It’s been about five hours but it already seems to be responding to its new environment. Rapid growth. This area here,” The scientist gestured with the end of a small scalpel. “Grew in the last hour alone. It seems to be forming a bulbous shape, not unlike mushrooms we’re familiar with.”

 

“Excuse me,” A new man’s voice cut in. Delphine and the scientist looked up. “Dr. Wells, with the Center for Disease Control.” He introduced himself, then quickly put on protective gear and got closer.

 

The scientist was really excited now. “Perfect, I’ve been itching to get a sample of this on a slide…” The three watched as the scientist nicked off a tiny piece of growth with his scalpel, depositing it in a sterile tube to bring back to the field laboratory not far off to their left.

 

Dr. Wells began to speak, “I’ll need to supervise your procedure with the sample--” But his instructions were cut short as the bulbous head of the growth emitted a soft popping noise as it burst, a cloud of spores billowing up into their faces. Delphine felt a surge of panic before she dropped to the ground along with the others, choking in a coughing fit.

 

\\\\\

 

Cosima had just deboarded her flight; it was a little after 7am. She briefly entertained the fantasy of showing up at Delphine’s hotel room, pulling the blonde into a romantic kiss, before trotting off to see this alien lifeform with her partner’s hand in her own. She flipped her phone off of airplane mode and frowned at the string of missed calls from unknown numbers. Before she could call one back, her phone started buzzing in her hand. She answered quickly, “Niehaus.”

 

“Agent, what is your location?”

 

She recognized the stern tone of one of her superiors. “I just landed in New York, I’m on my way to meet Cormier at the investigation site--”

 

“There’s been an incident with Agent Cormier.”

 

Cosima’s throat closed. “What?”

 

“There was a biological contaminant at the site, Agent Cormier was exposed. She’s currently under quarantine and receiving treatment--”

 

“Is she okay?” Cosima’s head was spinning; this wasn’t how her first real brush with ET was supposed to go.

 

“I can give you her location. I don’t have any more information than that.”

 

\\\\\

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” Cosima’s eyes were welling with tears as she stood helplessly behind the thick plastic walls of Delphine’s quarantine. She was unconscious, lips stained red with blood, a tube down her throat.

 

“She’s been out since right after she was first exposed. The spores caused extreme inflammation and pulmonary edema. We’re giving her oxygen and keeping her lungs clear. We’ll begin a more aggressive treatment as we figure out exactly what she was exposed to,” The doctor was calm and professional, and Cosima didn’t care. The doctor sensed the agent’s dismissal. “You can talk to her through the intercom, but even if she wakes up, she won’t be able to respond verbally.”

 

Cosima nodded without taking her eyes off of Delphine, eager to be left alone. The doctor soon walked away quietly to attend her other patients. Cosima didn’t waste any time.

 

 _Delphine. Please wake up. I’m here._ She felt nothing in response, and if she hadn’t been standing in front of the monitor that proved Delphine’s heart was still beating, she would have collapsed in grief from the feeling of losing the blonde. She continued her telepathic efforts, but time stretched from one hour to three; she pulled an uncomfortable chair as close as possible to the safety divider and slumped into it, continuing her attempts to reach Delphine for the remainder of the day.

 

\\\\\

 

It had been midnight the last time she had checked before accidentally dozing off, her neck and spine contorted awkwardly to fit in the small chair. She was dreaming of Delphine, the blonde’s full head of curls backlit with an angelic glow, her mouth opening to say something Cosima knew she needed to hear…

 

Cosima jerked awake, slipping out of the chair but catching herself enough at the last moment to stay off of the floor. She scrambled to press her glasses up her nose and her face against the translucent plastic barrier, certain she had felt Delphine.

 

_Delphine…_

 

Her partner’s eyelids struggled to flutter open until tired eyes finally met Cosima’s. She almost sank to the floor in relief.

 

 _Cosima._ Delphine easily responded with her mind, Cosima watching as she gradually took in her surroundings, her bed, the machines attached to her.

 

 _How do you feel?_ Cosima’s telepathic tone was as gentle as possible, her nose practically pressed against the wall dividing them in her desire for nearness.

 

Delphine paused in consideration. _My lungs burn. It...hurts to breathe._

 

 _I’m sorry I wasn’t with you...I should have been there._ Cosima’s eyes shone with a desperation, guilt.

 

 _Non...then we’d both be like this._ Delphine’s eyes drifted close for a moment.

 

 _But I want to be with you._ Cosima was almost pleading with her. _Want me to break in? It wouldn’t be hard…_

 

 _You know it’s for your own safety. Do the doctors know anything yet? Was it a toxin that was released?_ Delphine couldn’t gauge how serious it was; the quarantine was standard, she could need a simple dose of antibiotics or she could be on her deathbed…

 

 _They haven’t told me yet. The doctor said they’d begin treatment as soon as they know. She didn’t sound completely morose, so that should be a hopeful sign, right?_ Delphine saw how worried her partner was, felt the anxiety that bubbled in her subconscious. Cosima continued, intense emotion coloring her thoughts, _But you know, if we do have to get all worst case scenario, I don’t want to regret missing my opportunity to say this to you…_ Delphine could make out tears beginning to rim Cosima’s eyes. _Delphine, I am completely in lo--_

 

 _Cosima._ Delphine cut her off, a measure of strength returning to her. _If you’re about to make a grand declaration, I want to hear it from your mouth after I’m out of this hospital bed._ She could see Cosima’s exasperated sigh.

 

 _Fine_. Cosima rolled her eyes and lifted a hand to press her palm against the thick plastic. _But you know, right?_ Her eyes had softened, met Delphine’s caringly.

 

 _I know_ , Delphine gently confirmed, emotions flowing between them unspoken. But Delphine’s energy shifted suddenly with a memory. _There is something I need to tell you, though. It’s about Beth…_

 

 _What?_ Cosima balked at her partner. _What are you talking about?_ Her anxiety revved up again.

 

_I found something...I was looking into her disappearance. I think--_

 

 _No,_ Cosima interrupted her this time. _If I don’t get to say what I wanted to say, then you don’t get to drop a bombshell about Beth until we’re out of here and we can investigate it together._ Cosima sounded final; Delphine acknowledged and accepted her conviction with a slight nod.

  
_Maybe you should go find that doctor. We have some truths to share, and I don’t want to wait_.


	13. truths/truce

Delphine was kept quarantined for another week, though her assistive machines slowly were taken away as her strength returned, her breaths coming easier. The toxin was still present in her lung tissue, but a heavy dose of corticosteroids, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics had her doctor promising a full recovery, though some permanent scarring would remain. Cosima had faithfully remained as close as possible, and for the following mandatory week of observation outside of the quarantine, her partner was pressed against her bedside for nearly all hours of the day.

 

She was surprised that Cosima hadn’t been hounding down information about the meteor, the growth that was found, but when she asked her partner such, Cosima’s dismissal was instantaneous. “The clean up-slash-cover up was over before my flight here had even landed. Plus,” her voice softened, “I may be obsessed with alien life, but not if you’re in the hospital from it.”

 

Delphine had felt guilty at first, Cosima’s loyalty blatantly obvious to herself and her attending doctor and nurses. She marvelled at her partner’s devotion, her willingness to forgive her past betrayal, to offer herself to Delphine all over again. But watching Cosima doze, cheek smushed against her hospital bed and her arm resting lightly over Delphine’s, fingers twitching and tickling the blonde periodically, reassured Delphine of her _own_ allegiance; she wouldn’t have left Cosima’s side either if their roles had been reversed.

 

She was to be officially released tomorrow, and though her partner had been nothing but patient, she knew Cosima was itching to delve back into research. Delphine had explained what she knew about Paul in low tones, their heads close together, in the late hours of a few nights before. Cosima’s eyes sharpened with the information, but her response was measured, her actions anything but rash. Delphine had been half-worried she would wake up to an empty chair the next morning, but Cosima was still there, a bleary-eyed smile of greeting as the sunrise crept in through the window.

 

\\\\\

 

Cosima insisted on escorting her home, scurrying about to get her settled and comfortable. Her partner was literally fluffing her pillows for her, propping her body gently in her bed, tucking her in. She wasn’t medically quite so in need of care, she still was easily winded and had a lingering cough, but she could tell Cosima’s wouldn’t accept dismissal until she had deemed Delphine sufficiently cared for herself.

 

“Okay, how do you feel?” Cosima finally asked, seemingly satisfied with her arrangement.

 

“Fine, really. Thank you,” Delphine felt bashful; Cosima had been with her constantly over the past weeks, but they were frequently enough in the company of passing nurses and attendants in the hospital. Suddenly, they were truly alone together, their feelings and intentions still left unarticulated.

 

“Do you...uh, need anything?” Cosima seemed to change the direction of her question midway. Her hands clutched each other, weight shifting from one foot to the other; she seemed unsure what to do with her body now.

 

Delphine almost asked her to stay, actually _wanted_ her to stay, but decided a brief break would be better for both of them. “I’ll be okay, Cosima. I’m sure you’re eager for a shower in your own home and a moment alone. You’ve done nothing but stare at me for weeks.”

 

Cosima opened her mouth then closed it immediately, but Delphine had already heard the thought, bright and smoothed with affection, _I could stare at you a lot longer_. The blonde blushed, her resolve slipping, ready to tell Cosima to join her in bed...

 

Delphine’s phone trilled, breaking the look shared between them. She frowned before answering. “Hello?”

 

“Delphine, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for over a week.”

 

“Art,” Her surprise was distinct and Cosima quirked her head at the tone. “I’m sorry...there was an emergency.”

 

“I figured. I’m glad I got a hold of you though, I can’t stay on the line long...I’ve got something for you. Paul Dierden has a lot of well-kept secrets, but my contact found this: he’s currently employed by someone called The Dyad Institute. They’re conducting some sort of research, but I can’t tell you what. We couldn’t get very far.”

 

Delphine was nodding, processing. They could work with this. “Okay...this is a big help--”

 

“One more thing, Cormier,” Art cut her off, brusque but not impolite. “Dyad’s receiving money from the U.S. government. High level, large sums,” She could hear the warning in his voice, knew what was coming next. “Be careful how far you go with this one.”

 

“Thank you, Art. I’ll be in touch.” He hung up before she did, and she quickly explained what she learned to Cosima.

 

“Fuck,” Cosima’s brain was buzzing, leaping from connection to theory, rage to panic. “I have to find him, question him--”

 

“Cosima,” Delphine’s voice edged with concern, a plea. She knew she wasn’t fit to follow her partner yet, but she didn’t want Cosima diving in alone.

 

“He has to know what happened to Beth. _Jesus_ , the Bureau probably knows what happened to her...they could even be behind all of this!” Cosima was pulling on her coat, hands flying everywhere, paranoia filling Delphine’s room.

 

“I don’t want you to look for him by yourself,” Delphine had pushed herself upright, ready to stand in her partner’s way. “We do this together, remember?”

 

Cosima slowed her movements, finally perched herself beside Delphine on the bed. “...what if I bring Sarah with me? She’s like...the brawniest person I know.”

 

Delphine could see Sarah being both a liability and an asset. She was silent a few moments. “You can bring Sarah, but I wait in the car. And I want eyes on you at all times.”

 

Cosima met her gaze, let a brief spark pass between them before nodding. “Deal.” She slipped her hand into Delphine’s, gave a squeeze.

 

\\\\\

 

The pair had been surveilling Paul for a week. After several more conversations with Art, and a lot of disapproving sighs, he had agreed to let Cosima and Delphine speak to his contact, the one who had actually done the work of tracking Paul. After he explained the security precautions the contact took, Delphine wondered how Art had ever convinced them to help. She could hear the annoyed expression he wore as he explained, “She’s kind of a big fan of your partner. Apparently, Nutty Niehaus has a following.”

 

She was only known as MK, and their communication was exclusively digital, her messages disappearing without a trace within a few minutes of receiving them. But they didn’t vanish fast enough for Delphine to miss the winking smiley face attached after the wish of _good luck_. How many secret admirers did Cosima actually have?

 

Delphine brushed aside the thought, refocused on watching the elevator doors that led up to Paul’s apartment. After a few days of following, they were led to the unmarked and intimidating building he frequently visited. They surmised this was Dyad, or at least one of its branches of operations. Cosima and Sarah considered barrelling inside one of the first nights, Sarah spouting off about Alison’s collection of explosives, but Delphine had quieted them. They would question Paul first, act later.

 

The elevator dinged, the doors slid open, and their target strolled out and across the parking garage, moving towards his car. Cosima and Sarah were ready to slip from the car and follow, but Cosima hesitated, leaned across to press a chaste kiss on Delphine’s cheek before following Sarah out of the car. _I’ll be right back_ , the psychic assurance was appreciated, but Delphine’s grip on her pistol was still tight in her lap.

 

Paul reached his driver’s door, but spun defensively as soon as he heard their footsteps.

 

Cosima decided identifying herself as an agent would be more of a protection than a risk and she quickly showed her badge. “Paul Dierden?”

 

“FBI?” He narrowed his eyes at her, glanced to Sarah’s glare. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I don’t want to beat around the bush. Where’s Beth?” Cosima’s tone was stern, her fingers itched to rest on her gun, but she knew Sarah was palming her own weapon in her jacket pocket.

 

Paul’s eyes flashed, and Cosima took this moment to dig in. She saw Beth. Alive. She was strapped down to a bed, wires leading from a scull cap to an array of machines around her. Cosima probed further. She was there, in Dyad, on the other side of the walls they had been sitting outside of for days. Cosima almost turned on her heel then and there, ready to rush to her friend’s rescue.

 

“You’re them, aren’t you?” Paul’s voice held a realization, some of his defensiveness had dropped. “Her...friends.” Cosima could hear the knowing in his voice. Had she made a mistake using her real identity? And then Paul’s memories were flooding her brain, images of Beth being taken from her bed, gagged and drugged, Paul watching from the doorway. She felt like dry heaving and screaming all at once.

 

“You let them take her,” Was all Cosima managed to choke out, Beth’s pain now palpable. “You let them make her their lab rat.”

 

“They would have done it with or without my participation,” The second of regret in his gaze was gone, eyes turned steely. “Listen, it’s in your best interest to leave. Go very far away. It’s what Beth would have told you to do herself.”

 

“Don’t speak for her,” Sarah spat; though she wasn’t experiencing Cosima’s visions, she was following along enough to understand.

 

“She’s not the only one they’re interested in. They want all of you,” He focused on Cosima, “Do you think it’s a coincidence you work the Bureau’s X files? You are one yourself.” And before he could react, Sarah had swung her fist forward, the butt of her gun whipping his jaw. He staggered back a few steps, clutching his face, but didn’t move to retaliate.

 

“You’re a bastard for what you did to Beth. You’ll get yours,” Sarah’s gravelly threat hung in the air for a moment before she grabbed Cosima’s arm and pulled her along. She shoved her friend in the back of their car and ignored Delphine’s worried and questioning expression before peeling out of the parking garage, steering the car back to her flat.

 

Delphine was peering into the backseat, Cosima’s face a mixture of stunned sickness. “Cosima, what happened?” Her voice was hushed with concern.

 

Sarah answered from the driver’s seat. “We’re arming up and then we’re going to get Beth.”

 

\\\\\

 

The partners sat beside each other on Sarah’s couch as the other woman clattered about her apartment, ignoring them as she made a series of rapid phone calls to Alison and other unknown allies, all the while pulling out caches of various weapons, surveying them in her hands. Delphine turned back to Cosima; she still seemed in a state of shock, reeling from the images of Beth she had pulled from Paul’s mind and his warning. Delphine reached out her hand, trying to stroke Cosima’s back, but her partner shrugged her off.

 

“Cosima--”

 

“They’ve been keeping me in their pocket this whole time,” Cosima’s voice was eerily hollow. “Did you know?”

 

“Of course not--”

 

“Is that why they really assigned you to me? Have you been reporting back to them about our telepathy?” Cosima’s tone had sharpened, Delphine heard her spiraling.

 

“Cosima, you can look through every thought in my head,” She reached out, closed both of her hands around one of Cosima’s. “I know I made a mistake before, but I had no idea about _any_ of this.” Cosima finally met her gaze, allowed herself to fall into Delphine and be reassured. “I’m yours, completely,” Delphine’s ringing honesty soothed her partner; Cosima didn’t even need to pry.

 

Instead, she leaned in, a hand cupping Delphine’s cheek as she pulled her into a searingly deep kiss. Delphine allowed herself to get lost in the affection, her craving for the other woman finally being met. They forgot themselves for a moment, their usually controlled lust bubbling over with need, and Cosima found herself straddling Delphine’s lap, bottom lip between the blonde’s teeth, before she pulled away, out of breath.

 

“Why haven’t we been doing that this whole time?” Cosima brushed her nose against Delphine’s; for the moment, her thoughts solely focused on the woman beneath her.

 

“It was my fault for temporarily being a career-focused prat,” Delphine leaned up to press another kiss to the corner of Cosima’s lips.

 

“You do know that we are most certainly going to lose our jobs, if not get arrested, if we go through with this, right?” Cosima peered into her partner’s eyes, the gaze oddly calm in advance of the storm.

 

“I only hope we’ll be locked in the same cell together.”

 

Cosima pulled her into another hungry kiss, her hips grinding down uncontrollably, a soft moan escaping Delphine’s throat.

 

A disappointed and mildly disgusted groan sounded across the room. “Are we shagging on my couch or are we coming up with a rescue plan?” Sarah dropped a bag full of gear loudly on the coffee table in front of them.

 

\\\\\

 

“Right,” Cosima rubbed her palms together, eyes sweeping across the room at her small band of friends. “Delphine and Alison, you both stay put in the van. Even if it sounds bad. We need you on the outside to pick us up. If we can’t leave the building, contact Art.” Delphine affirmed her partner with a nod, nervousness weighing her down. Her weakened respiratory system could barely handle a small staircase without pause, let alone sprinting and potential combat. Cosima continued, “Felix, you’ll be on foot circling the building. If you see anyone or if we need your help, we’ll be in contact. MK is handling overriding their security system and pinpointing Beth’s location, so theoretically, all Sarah and I have to do is traipse in the backdoor while no one’s looking.”

 

“Sounds...simple,” Alison kept her voice optimistically pitched.

 

“Too bloody simple,” Sarah grumbled, a closed knife spinning between her fingers in anticipation.

 

\\\\\

 

_It’s going...okay, actually_. Delphine could feel Cosima’s tension despite what she was communicating. _We’re on the second floor, no problems yet. MK is keeping security distracted somehow. Beth’s room should be on the fourth floor, western wing._

 

“They’re in,” Delphine verbalized for Alison’s benefit. “They have Beth’s location, they’re making their way there now.” She texted Felix, directing him to circle to the west of the building. Alison nervously drummed her fingers on the steering while, a tuneless little hum filling the silence.

 

\\\\\

 

Cosima’s phone buzzed in her hand. One of MK’s randomized numbers: _Guns incoming from your left_. She just managed to backtrack, dragging Sarah along with her, ducking into an unmarked room that held a darkened laboratory.

 

“Afraid to get your hands dirty?” Sarah whispered, pulling out her small pistol. “I thought you were a _special agent_.” Her nerves had her aggressive, pushy.

 

Cosima shook her head. “It doesn’t mean I like getting shot point blank. I’m eager to get to Beth, not get in a gunfight with the guards.” Cosima missed Delphine, her level-headedness in the field.

 

_Thinking about me?_ Delphine responded to the accidental call.

 

_Well, not intentionally, but I’m not_ not _happy to hear you._ Cosima rolled her eyes at Sarah’s pointed look. _You’re a much better partner than Sarah. But don’t ever tell her I said that._

 

_Be careful,_ _chérie_ _._

 

Cosima’s phone vibrated again. Another from MK: _Go now_.

 

“C’mon.” And she was rushing with Sarah down the rest of the hall, into another elevator, finally on the fourth floor. A follow-up message from MK: _Security won’t come back for ten minutes, only staff now. Unarmed._

 

As they rounded the next corner, they nearly crashed into a woman in lab coat. Before Cosima could respond, Sarah had pounced; the woman lay bound and gagged in a matter of minutes. Cosima realized Sarah _was_ very effective at some things. She pulled the woman’s ear close to her mouth. “Is Beth Childs in this ward?” Sarah’s demand only got an unintelligible yelp in response, but Cosima was already interrupting her interrogation.

 

“MK just gave me the room. 423.”

 

Sarah nodded, roughly shoving the woman’s body out of sight and into another darkened room before following Cosima’s quickened pace, counting the rooms they rushed past. They skidded to a halt in front of the door finally, both out of breath, _423_ waiting before them. Sarah met her eyes one last time with a nod before closing her fist around the handle, swinging it open…

 

_Cosima!_ The panicked screech reverberated around Cosima’s head, the fervor throwing her off balance.

 

_Delphine? Delphine!_ She could feel her calls falling away, unreceived in the ether. Delphine was either unconscious or…

 

Her train of thought was thoroughly halted because Sarah had swung the door open and there she was.

 

Beth.

 

Alive but unconscious, an array of monitors and devices humming away beside her, clearly connected to her brain.

 

“Oh my god,” Sarah had fallen forward, was clutching at her friend’s hand, shaking her gently. “Beth. _Beth_.” She glanced back to Cosima, but her teary relief transformed into terror. “Cos!”

 

Cosima spun around to find Delphine’s unconscious form held up brutishly by a bulky guard. Alison stood shaking beside her, eyes bulging; her wrists were zip tied together, mouth covered with a piece of tape, another guard pressing a gun into her side. A third guard had his weapon trained on Sarah; he was flanked by an older man in a suit, whose gaze flashed cuttingly.

 

“Cosima Niehaus,” The suited man drawled, taking the few steps forward to peer more directly into her eyes. “You don’t know me, but you could call me your biggest admirer,” He grinned maliciously, his villainous moustache pulled upwards, eyes still searching Cosima’s. “Come...no attempts to get in my mind? Are you really so polite?”

 

Cosima’s head was spinning, panic overriding all of her faculties. She tried to sharpen her mind, gain leverage on him. But she felt sluggish, incapable…

 

He smiled again, this time triumphantly. “Yes, that’s better. Beth has taught me quite a lot...are you impressed?” Cosima bristled, which he only seemed to enjoy more. “Of course, I’m not nearly as quick of a study as your dear Dr. Cormier here,” He glanced at Delphine’s slumped form. “How _did_ you teach her so quickly, Cosima?”

 

“Who are you?” Cosima finally found her voice, glanced back at Sarah’s equally fearful eyes.

 

“You can call me Dr. Westmoreland,” He strode further into the room, eyed Beth and Sarah momentarily. “And in other circumstances, I would say you can thank me for your career with the FBI, but…” He smiled at Cosima again. “I really feel like I must thank _you_ for bringing your merry band of psychics to my front door.”

 

Cosima’s stomach was dropping away, her vision blurred around the edges with a swell of nausea. She blinked through the dizziness. “What...what do you want?” Her defeat was deafening even to herself.

 

“Well…” Westmoreland dragged out the word. “Let’s make a deal. All of you if you struggle...one of you if you cooperate.” He stared deeply into Cosima’s eyes.

 

She swallowed. “You’ll let Beth go? And leave the others alone?” She knew if Delphine had been awake her head would have been ringing with protest.

 

“You become my subject, you divulge _everything_ about your talent,” He noticed Cosima’s jaw clench, and eased his expression. “I’ll allow you to keep your position at the Bureau, and your special friend,” He nodded his head towards Delphine.

 

Cosima knew it was the only option.

 

\\\\\

 

She was gazing deeply into Delphine’s eyes, bodies warm and wrapped around each other in the blonde’s bed. After the difficult conversation with Delphine about her arrangement with Dyad and Westmoreland, they had allowed themselves the weekend for uncomplicated and indulgent loving. The blonde inched forward for another kiss, her bare skin hot against Cosima’s.

 

“Do you think the office is bugged? ...do you think our _bedrooms_ are bugged?” Cosima finally let her paranoia surface into their blissful dream state.

 

“Does it matter if he thinks he has access to your thoughts?” She smoothed her thumb over Cosima’s cheekbone; her partner’s eyes fluttered shut. Delphine pressed her lips against her ear, whispered, “We won’t resist until we know how to win.”

 

Cosima’s lips curved up uncontrollably, melting further into her partner. She pulled Delphine back in for a kiss, luxuriating in the amount of time she could devote to the pleasure of feeling Delphine’s tongue brush against her own. She forgot herself in the kiss, the blonde soothing her anxiety and bolstering her confidence.

 

She opened her eyes, met Delphine’s caring gaze that held a promise, one Cosima trusted. “He doesn’t know who he’s messing with.”

 

X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to all of you sweet readers for sticking around for this thing and offering endless words of support <3


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